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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 831 - Crushing Victory!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C831 - Crushing Victory!
Chapter 831: Crushing Victory!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Whew!”
Within the formation, Wang Chong slowly drew back his hands and let out a deep breath. Wang Chong felt his body seethe as the last stream of Brigadier-General-level Saint Martial energy entered his body, elevating him from Saint Martial Tier 1 to Tier 2, ultimately pushing all the way to Tier 3.
“This shouldn’t be. What evil art is this?”
A weak and feeble voice, lingering on the edge of death, came from in front of him. Agudu Lan’s body was shriveled up, leaving behind only a layer of skin hanging on a frame of bones. Yet even in this dreadful state, Agudu Lan was not yet dead, his eyes fixed on Wang Chong.
“The Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art, the supreme evil art of the Central Plains!”
Wang Chong smiled as he stood up and answered Agudu Lan’s final question.
“Evil art, evil art… so that was it!”
Agudu Lan’s eyes unfocused, and that last ray of light in his eyes vanished like a flickering candle extinguished by the wind. Thud! His body leaned over and struck the ground.
“Congratulations to user for killing Agudu Lan and resolving the other major threat to Qixi. In addition, with the death of the Black Wolf Yabgu, a major event, the course of the Western Turkic Khaganate has been altered. User is rewarded with 2000 points of Destiny Energy!
“Congratulations to user for salvaging the mission ‘Warhorses of the Great Tang’ and avoiding the penalty for mission failure!”
At this moment, the voice of the Stone of Destiny rang out in his mind and a smile crept onto Wang Chong’s face. The 2000 points of Destiny Energy he received from killing Agudu Lan coupled with his previous rewards meant that he had now accumulated 4670 Destiny Energy.
I can exchange for another set of rewards from the Stone of Destiny now! Wang Chong quietly said to himself.
Wang Chong had gradually begun to realize that the best way to gain Destiny Energy was to kill extraordinarily powerful and influential enemies. These people were often linked to the fate of their respective empires, and killing them would result in a reward for changing the course of history.
But I should still save up this Destiny Energy for now. When I need it in the future, I can exchange for some extremely formidable abilities! Wang Chong decided.
During the battle of the triangular gap, Wang Chong had expended most of his Destiny Energy for the Karmic Battle Armor, and he was slowly beginning to get a taste of the rewards offered by the Stone of Destiny. The Stone of Destiny had some rather precious treasures up for exchange that could play an extremely influential role in battle with elite experts, but these treasures would have a massive price. Still, all of these treasures were worth the price, being more powerful the more Destiny Energy they cost.
“Elder Fang, Elder Du!”
Wang Chong turned to the two Wushang elders, and the two began to make hand movements, releasing pulses of Stellar Energy. The ground trembled as the surrounding walls of dust quickly dispersed, revealing the Qixi Armory. The ground was covered in corpses and irrigated by rivers of blood that not even the darkness could hide. The air stank with the pungent stench of blood.
Wang Chong had barely left the boundary of the formation when a blood-covered scout captain carrying a spear walked over. “Lord Marquis, the battle has already concluded. The Turks have been crushed, with only four or five hundred managing to flee. In addition, we managed to take some of them captive. How should we handle them?”
“If they escaped, forget it. There’s no need to chase them down,” Wang Chong indifferently said. “As for the captives, bring them all back with us. In addition, tell everyone to get ready to withdraw.”
He was very satisfied with the results of this battle. The ground was covered with corpses, but most of them belonged to the Turks and their wolves. The casualties of the Wushang Cavalry were extremely limited, with the majority only having suffered light wounds.
Xu Keyi rode up on a horse and called out, “Lord Marquis! The people from the Qixi Protectorate seem to finally be coming over. Should we meet with them and hand the matter over to them?”
Wang Chong followed Xu Keyi’s gaze and saw the light of torches in the distance. The torches were approaching, accompanied by the thundering of hooves. After all this time, the Qixi Protectorate had finally reacted. Some people were coming to see what was going on, but based on the sound of the hooves, it wasn’t very many.
“Forget it. This isn’t the time to meet them. Inform everyone that we’re leaving soon. As for the armory, let’s leave it to them to handle.”
“Yes, Lord Marquis!”
……
Wang Chong and his five thousand Wushang Cavalry quickly departed, not waiting for the people from the Qixi Protectorate to arrive. Not long after they left, a fierce Qixi commander along with some two thousand soldiers appeared. In the light of their torches, they saw a gruesome battlefield, and all of them recoiled in shock, some of them ghastly pale and apparently about to vomit.
“How formidable. Look at the symbol on their armor, a wolf head. This is the sign of a Turkic warrior. All of them were true soldiers!”
“If I remember correctly, these people would be considered elites under the command of the legendary Black Wolf Yabgu. These fellows enjoy their sneak attacks. In their last operation, the protectorate lost more than a thousand people, and even a few veteran generals were lost. I didn’t think that they would die here!”
“This is too gruesome. Just look at their wounds! There’s no second one. How powerful would someone have to be to do this? Just the thought of it makes me tremble!”
“Thankfully, they came to help us. If they were together with the Turks, we would already be dead!”
All of the soldiers felt their hearts thump in fear as they examined the miserable state of the Turkic corpses. Their blood was still warm, indicating that they had been slaughtered in a very short time. The strength of a force that could pull off such a feat made their blood freeze. Before this, no one would have dared to believe that such a powerful force existed in Qixi.
“What did you find?”
Meanwhile, that fierce Hu commander from the Qixi Protectorate was standing in a place out of view, speaking in a hushed tone with a grimace on his face.
A sturdy Hu scout lowered his head. After thinking for a few moments, he raised his head and offered a cautious assessment. “It’s still not too clear, but it seems to have been the people from Wushang’s City of Steel. In Qixi, they’re the only ones who have this kind of strength.
“Milord, they shouldn’t be far. Do you want to chase after them?”
The Hu commander thought for a few moments before shaking his head. “There’s no need!
“That person is currently a taboo in Qixi. No one is allowed to carelessly approach him. Let’s not invite disaster on our heads. Quickly have this place cleaned up.”
“Yes, Milord!”
……
After traveling several hundred li, Wang Chong’s forces returned to the City of Steel. It was the Chou Period, and the sky was still dark, the city still in silent slumber. But at this moment, the gates to the city were open, and a delicate figure dressed in white, riding a white horse, was waiting at the gate, a smiling fairy descended from the heavens. (TN: The Chou Period goes from 1 am to 3 am.)
Xu Qiqin’s gorgeous eyes flashed as she saw Wang Chong at the front. She immediately urged her horse forward, her head slightly raised as she proudly demanded, “How was it? My plan wasn’t bad, right?”
“Haha, of course. After all, it was your plan.”
Wang Chong couldn’t help but break out in laughter as he saw Xu Qiqin’s proud figure. The two shared a mutual understanding and knew that they were talking about the letter that had baited Agudu Lan. The letter was faked, but the contents were real. Wang Chong’s second brother Wang Bei truly had been released from the imperial prison, but not long after he left, he had suffered a bout of Berserker Syndrome in the middle of the street and accidentally crashed into a princess’s carriage. However, Wang Bei had not killed the princess, nor had he engaged in some senseless massacre in broad daylight. On the contrary, just when he was about to lose his rationality, Wang Bei had suddenly succeeded in controlling himself.
Such a thing had never happened before.
After this incident, Wang Bei had written a letter to Wang Chong telling him that he would arrive in Wushang soon to help him subdue the Western Regions.
This news was like music to Wang Chong’s ears.
This letter had arrived in Wang Chong’s hand quite a few days ago, but when Xu Qiqin saw it, she thought of the idea of using it to trick Agudu Lan into letting down his guard and beginning his operation earlier than planned. Agudu Lan was truly a very cautious man. Even after confirming that Wang Chong had left Sand Pass in the direction of the capital, he had even gathered information to confirm the veracity of the incident involving Wang Bei.
But while evildoers could grow one foot, the righteous would grow a zhang. In the end, Agudu Lan still lost to Wang Chong and Xu Qiqin, expiring with his grievances in front of Qixi Armory, all his cultivation becoming Wang Chong’s.
“But don’t get careless. Don’t let someone steal your credit like at the battle of the triangular gap,” Xu Qiqin chided. “Prepare a memorial to the court. You need to get at least a little reward for your efforts.”
“Haha, you know that I don’t care that much about these things, but what you say is reasonable. I’ll leave the matter of the memorial to you.”
Wang Chong smiled as he waved behind him, quickly leading his men back into the City of Steel.
Flapflap!
A while later, a messenger bird flew into the dark skies, quickly vanishing in the direction of the capital.
……
A night passed, and in the early morning, Wang Chong had just finished a bowl of swallow’s nest porridge when the door to the room suddenly opened with a bang.
Xu Keyi entered the room and shouted, “Lord Marquis, there’s a problem!”
“What happened?”
Wang Chong put down the porridge and frowned. Xu Keyi and the others should have known about the rules he had set down. Unless something was particularly urgent, it was forbidden to intrude into his room at this hour.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 832 - Captive, the Turkic Fourth Prince?!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C832 - Captive, the Turkic Fourth Prince?!
Chapter 832: Captive, the Turkic Fourth Prince?!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“It’s unbelievable! Lord Marquis, do you remember those captives we took last night?” Xu Keyi said, his face red from excitement.
“I know; what’s wrong with them?” Wang Chong somewhat confusedly replied. After the large battle yesterday, he remembered a report that they had taken captives, but he didn’t understand what was so special about that.
“Lord Marquis, we caught a big fish this time! Amongst these captives is a prince of the Western Turkic Khaganate, and it’s Ishbara Khagan’s most beloved Fourth Prince, the offspring of the Khatun! Agudu Lan had brought him this time to gain some merit for himself and give Ishbara Khagan an excuse to grant him an official rank. He didn’t think that he would end up losing and get the prince captured.”
Xu Keyi was in such a rush to speak that he hardly breathed as he spoke.
“Ah?!”
Alarmed, Wang Chong immediately stood up.
In the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates, the status of prince was even higher than it was in the Central Plains. The reason was very simple: the two Turkic Khaganates did not have the Three Palaces and the Six Courts, so they also did not have as many princes and princesses. A prince who was the offspring of the Khatun and was beloved by Ishbara Khagan had a simply unimaginable status in the Western Turkic Khaganate.
Wang Chong had never imagined that while dealing with Agudu Lan, he would also capture a prince of the Western Turkic Khaganate.
……
“Lord Marquis, this morning, we brought out the captives from last night so that we could interrogate them to see if they knew anything useful about the Western Turks. But at this time, we noticed that one of the captives looked a bit off. He was dressed in very luxurious clothes, not like the clothes of an ordinary soldier, and he also had a different temperament. He didn’t look like a soldier at all, but someone of very high status, and stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the other captives.”
Although Xu Keyi had been the one to inform Wang Chong of the matter, Chen Bin had been the one to discover the Turkic prince. In the prison beneath the City of Steel, Li Siye, Huang Botian, City of Steel, Su Shixuan, and even Elders Fang and Du were gathered, all of them listening to Chen Bin’s explanation.
“I immediately felt that something was wrong, so I found someone who knew Turkic and brought them over. I didn’t imagine that he would be a Turkic prince. I still wasn’t sure, so I thought a bit and decided to have Hulayeg take a look. He’s very socially active, with acquaintances at all levels of society, so I believed that he should be familiar with all the members of the Turkic imperial clan. When Hulayeg arrived, he recognized the Turkic Fourth Prince at a glance!”
“Mm.”
Wang Chong nodded as he peered through the small cell window, more than six feet off the ground. The Turkic Fourth Prince was a youth of twenty-one or so. His clothes were filthy from last night’s battle, but it was still possible to see that they were extremely gorgeous Turkic clothes.
He truly is a member of the Turkic imperial clan! Wang Chong concluded, as he could see the blazing suns and howling wolves embroidered on the clothes of the youth. Although Wang Chong had rarely interacted with the Turkic imperials, he knew that the Turks regarded the sun as a sacred mountain, which served as one of their targets of worship alongside wolves. These were symbols that only the imperial households of the Turkic Khaganates could use, evidence of their revered bloodlines.
Rumble!
Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Chong opened the door to the cell and walked in.
“Don’t, don’t kill me… I’m a Turkic prince! I can give you lots of money! Don’t kill me!”
The young prince seemed to be greatly alarmed at the opening of the cell, and he immediately curled up into a trembling ball. This young Turkic prince was actually the Turkic youth who had been at Agudu Lan’s side.
“Mm?”
At the sight of this Turkic prince’s frightened demeanor, Wang Chong slightly frowned.
“Lord Marquis, this fellow seems like a coward. It’s probably because last night’s slaughter scared him out of his wits,” Xu Keyi whispered into Wang Chong’s ears.
Wang Chong thought this over for a few moments and then nodded. In last night’s battle, the Wushang Cavalry had treated those Turkic elites like they were cutting melons, easily crushing them. It was said that the Turks were natural warriors with fierce dispositions, but this Turkic prince had been raised at Mount Sanmi, in the middle of the Khagan’s court. One could probably count the numbers of battles he had experienced with one’s fingers, and of those he had experienced, it had probably been in the rear and in situations where the Turks had the advantage.
The slaughter of four to five thousand Turkic warriors like they were pigs was probably something he had never seen before. That scene would probably plague his nightmares long past today.
Wang Chong squatted down and asked, “You said that you could give me a lot of money?”
The young Turkic prince was at first dazed that the question was being asked in Turkic, but he quickly came around. “Rightrightright! No matter how much money it is, I can give it to you. Pearls, agate, gold… my imperial father and imperial mother will definitely agree.”
Wang Chong laughed. “Hahaha, I don’t need any pearls or agate. As for gold, how much could you Turks have, and would your imperial father and imperial mother be willing to give it to you?”
The Turkic prince was momentarily stupefied. Unlike the other empires, the Turkic people did not have very well-developed commerce, nor were they rich in goods and resources. This meant that even if the Turks had a great deal of wealth, they could not use this wealth to buy things en masse whenever they pleased.
In other words, the wealth of the Turks only had worth when carrying out transactions with other empires. Not all Turks cared that much about accumulating great wealth, and people like Hulayeg made up a very small minority in both of the Khaganates. In addition, there were no gold mines to be found on the Turkic steppe, so even the collected gold of both Khaganates would not amount to much.
Thus, it was very hard to say if Ishbara Khagan was willing to pay gold for a single prince. After all, the gold of the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates was used to buy luxuries to be shared amongst all the nobles and imperial clansmen.
“Hahaha…”
Seeing the dumbstruck look on the prince’s face, Wang Chong heartily laughed and began to stand back up. The laughter terrified the prince, and his body began to tremble all over.
“Wait! Wait a moment… I know that you need warhorses!” the Turkic prince suddenly yelled. “I can give you a lot of warhorses! Our Western Turkic Khaganate has the best warhorses of the Great Steppe! I can give you as many as you need…”
But Wang Chong pretended not to hear. Shaking his head, he turned around and left the cell, with the terrified gaze of the prince fixed on his back. As the door to the cell closed, the Turkic prince seemed to be struck by lightning, his face paling as he plopped down to the ground.
Wang Chong had barely walked out of the cell and turned a corner when he was accosted by a slightly plump figure, furtive and apparently hiding from something.
“Eh? Milord, why didn’t you agree with him? The Fourth Prince has a very high status in the Western Turkic Khaganate. Even though it doesn’t have much gold, if you want warhorses, Ishbara Khagan would definitely agree to a deal. In the steppe, there’s a rule that if a noble is taken hostage, all the nobles will put up some money to pay the ransom, and this is a prince we’re talking about!”
“I know,” Wang Chong indifferently said, not even glancing at Hulayeg.
“You know?”
Hulayeg was dumbstruck. He knew Wang Chong was in dire need of warhorses, and Wang Chong had probably agreed to help him in the first place in part because of the three hundred thousand warhorses on the line. But with this excellent chance before him, Wang Chong was actually abandoning it, an action that he found inexplicable.
“But, why?”
“I’ve already decided to let you handle this matter.”
Wang Chong smiled and patted the flabbergasted Hulayeg on the shoulder before taking his leave. Meanwhile, Hulayeg seemed nailed to the floor, his lips trembling, his mind blank. After some time, he finally seemed to understand. His eyes grew bright, his face turned exultant, and he let out an excited roar.
“Wonderful!”
……
Several thousand li northwest of Qixi, across the vast Turkic steppe and into the extreme north, a massive and lofty mountain range loomed. It spanned the gap between the heavens and earth, causing anyone who saw it to sigh in praise and realize just how insignificant they were.
Mount Sanmi!
This was the seat of the Western Turkic Khagan. If one looked carefully, one would realize that this majestic mountain range was actually formed from three mountains, two short and one tall. The highest peak was where the Khagan of the Western Turks, Ishbara Khagan, resided.
The Turkic steppe had always been flat and boundless, a land lacking in prominent mountains.
If one traveled north from Qixi through the Turkic steppe, they wouldn’t even see a hill, much less a mountain. So one could easily imagine the symbolic effect the behemoth of Mount Sanmi looming over the Great Steppe would have on the Turks.
The Turkic Khagans would spend a part of each year touring through the tribes, so that great tent that symbolized the Khagan would move with him. However, everyone would admit that the court of the Khagan could only be in one place: Mount Sanmi.
“What?! Agudu Lan was killed and the Fourth Prince was captured? A Qixi without Fumeng Lingcha actually managed to inflict a grievous defeat on us and even capture the Fourth Prince!!”
At the summit of Mount Sanmi, within a golden tent ten-some zhang tall, a roar like a lion’s exploded, echoing across all of Mount Sanmi. A wind burst out of the tent, sweeping in all directions. Outside the tent, thousands of Turkic warriors leading wolves in patrols around the mountain quivered in fear at the sound of this furious bellow, terrified expressions on their faces.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 833 - Ishbara Khagan of the Western Turks!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C833 - Ishbara Khagan of the Western Turks!
Chapter 833: Ishbara Khagan of the Western Turks!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Mighty Khagan, although Fumeng Lingcha is no longer in Qixi, Wushang’s City of Steel is home to an extremely formidable Tang youth called Wang Chong. He pretended to leave Qixi, baiting the Black Wolf Yabgu into a trap. He ambushed them, killing the Lord Yabgu and capturing the Fourth Prince!”
A Turkic warrior who had managed to get out alive from the battle at the Qixi Armory kneeled on the ground, his face as white as a sheet of paper and sweat raining down from his forehead as he reported to the furious Ishbara Khagan. They had gone straight to Mount Sanmi after escaping from Qixi. The death of a Yabgu and the capture of the Fourth Prince were both extremely important events that none of them had the right to make decisions on.
“The City of Steel?”
At the mention of this name, the eyes of that stalwart and god-like figure in the golden tent flew open, his anger receding.
“Is this not that Great Tang youth who defeated Geluofeng and Dalun Ruozan in the war of the southwest? I told the Black Wolf Yabgu to kill him. How is it that this task has still not been carried out?”
“Lord Yabgu wanted to try, but he discovered that the Tibetans had acted first. Milord wanted to use the hands of the Tibetans to kill Wang Chong, so he put aside the idea of personally doing so. But he did not expect that Dayan Mangban of the Ü-Tsang Empire would die to Wang Chong in the battle of the triangular gap. Thus, Milord kept delaying until he eventually died in Qixi to Wang Chong’s ambush,” the Turkic warrior said in a low voice.
“What? There was something like that!”
Ishbara Khagan’s eyes narrowed as he completely calmed down. In the Western Regions, the Western Turks had two enemies. One was the Great Tang, but this had always been an opponent who passively defended, its long supply line making it extremely inflexible and not a very great threat. The true foe of the Western Turks was the Tibetans of the plateau.
Even though they were separated by the Great Tang’s Qixi, the Western Turks and the Tibetans had still fought with each other several times over the Western Regions, so the Turks actually had a deep understanding of the Tibetan commanders.
Ishbara Khagan knew of Dayan Mangban. This Tibetan general had even led his soldiers around Qixi and deep into the Turkic steppe, twice dealing heavy blows to the Turkic armies. This was a madman of the Brigadier General level with unconventional battle tactics.
Residing in the distant Mount Sanmi, Ishbara Khagan paid little attention to these regional battles. He had never imagined that one of the elites of the Western Turkic Khaganate would die to Wang Chong, someone who hadn’t appeared very strong. If this was true, he would need to reexamine Wang Chong.
“Khagan, do you really think this is the time to worry about such things? Is our Hu-er’s life no longer important?”
While Ishbara Khagan was conducting his questioning, he was suddenly interrupted by the worried and distraught voice of a woman.
“Who cares what kind of person this Wang Chong is? The urgent task at hand should be rescuing my son!”
At this moment, a graceful and beautiful Turkic woman dressed in lavish clothes walked out from behind Ishbara Khagan.
“Khatun!”
The kneeling Turkic warrior pressed his head even lower against the floor. In all the Western Turkic Khaganate, there was only one person who could enter this golden tent whenever they wished and interrupt Ishbara: the Fourth Prince’s birth mother, the Khatun.
“When did you get here?”
Ishbara Khagan hurriedly stepped forward to support his wife, his face gentle and affectionate. The Khagan had met many women over his life, but this woman was his most respected and beloved.
The reason for this was simple. If not for this woman’s firm support while Ishbara Khagan was still a prince, he would have never emerged from the chaos to take the throne of Khagan.
Besides that, although this woman was over forty and had given birth to several children, the Khatun maintained her looks, with the skin and figure of a woman in her late twenties.
“Hmph, if I didn’t come, wouldn’t you have just watched as Hu-er died in the hands of that Tang in Qixi? Hu-er’s life is hanging by a thread,” the Khatun harshly rebuked. “Khagan, tell me: will you save Hu-er or not?”
“Rescue him, of course! Hu-er is my own flesh and blood, my most beloved son. How could I not save him? Come, come, come, send someone to Wushang’s City of Steel. No matter what price I must pay, the Fourth Prince must be saved!”
This final order echoed throughout all of Mount Sanmi.
……
Several days later, in Wushang’s City of Steel, Wang Chong was standing in front of his desk, reviewing a recently-arrived intelligence report, when a scout rushed in.
“Lord Marquis, a Turkic emissary is requesting a meeting. He says that he wants to negotiate the ransom of the Fourth Prince.”
“No meeting!”
Wang Chong didn’t even look away from the intelligence report, and his face showed no emotion.
“Ah!”
The scout was dumbfounded, but he quickly returned to his senses.
“Yes! Lord Marquis!”
The scout quickly left.
Hulayeg chortled and walked over, his eyes bright. “Haha, Lord Marquis was right. Ishbara Khagan and the Khatun are quite anxious. It’s only been a few days and they’ve already sent an emissary. As long as we refuse them a few times, they’ll grow even more anxious, and Milord can also get more from the Fourth Prince. In this aspect, no one understands them better than me.”
“I leave everything about this matter to you, including the talks with the Turkic emissary. But, Hulayeg, you’d better think it over carefully. In my intelligence, I learned that when Agudu Lan raided your house, this Fourth Prince received a share of the spoils.”
Wang Chong looked up from the report and gave Hulayeg a faint smile.
The Turkic steppe was vast and sparsely populated, and not even someone like Wang Chong had the ability to seek information within it. But the nearby Western Regions was an excellent nexus of information. The Hu, Turks, and Arabs all congregated in that place, so Wang Chong didn’t need to use that much effort to obtain the information he had sought.
“Haha, and what does that matter? I will regain everything I’ve lost. And besides, even if he knows that I sold you horses, I have my ways of getting him to trust me, and Ishbara Khagan and the Khatun to pay the price we want.”
Hulayeg looked at Wang Chong with a crafty light in his eyes.
Although the Turks worshiped courage and ferocity, Hulayeg was no warrior, but a shrewd merchant, and the number one horse merchant of the Turkic steppe at that.
In business negotiations, he worked on a completely different level from the rest.
“Haha, that would be great.”
Wang Chong chuckled before burying his head back into the report in his hand.
……
While the emissary from Ishbara Khagan was being repeatedly rebuffed at the walls of the City of Steel, in the distant capital of the Great Tang, the debate regarding the new Qixi Protector-General had reached a climax.
“Your Majesty, your subject recommends Black Tiger General Zhang Yi!”
“Your Majesty, your subject recommends Crushing Wave General Duan Xuan!”
“Your Majesty, your subject recommends Border General Li Si!”
Within the hall, various officials were giving their recommendations one after the other. In a few short days, the candidate list for Qixi Protector-General had ballooned from ten-some people to more than two hundred. There were all sorts of reasons for these recommendations: battlefield experience, experience leading Hu, recent and large increases in strength, particularly stand-out performances in the last few years…
Even though the vast majority of the people didn’t fit the requirement, the people who recommended them all shared the same reason for doing so: why shouldn’t they try? If they didn’t try, how would they know that it wasn’t plausible?
“Haaa…”
At the first line of officials, next to a cinnabar dragon pillar, King Song couldn’t help but sigh as the numerous voices rang out in his ear.
It had been seven or eight days now, and the debate for the next Qixi Protector-General had only intensified. Every person had their own goal, each believing their recommendation to be the ideal candidate.
But in truth, King Song couldn’t find a single suitable candidate amongst the more than two hundred recommended. Even his own recommendation of Wang Yan and King Qi’s recommendation of Yao Guangyi barely met the standard.
This was an important matter of state, not some game. Over the last few days, King Song had barely attempted to make the case for Wang Yan.
The country cannot be without a sovereign for a day, and the border cannot be without a general. Just who can replace Fumeng Lingcha in protecting Qixi and standing guard over the border?
King Song raised his head to the ceiling of the majestic hall, his mind in turmoil. He cared little for the quarreling of the officials, only for who would truly be the right person for the job.
Finding a proper candidate was easier said than done. There were only so many Great Generals in the Great Tang, and all of them already had posts and duties. Finding another Imperial Great General wasn’t just a difficult problem, but an impossibility. This was the true reason for the ongoing stalemate.
Is there really no suitable candidate in all the vastness of the Great Tang?
King Song’s brow furrowed as he continued to deeply ponder the problem.
This was a problem with no solution. Qixi was in a complex situation, having to deal with both the Turks and the Tibetans… and there was also the problem of having both Hu and Han soldiers in the protectorate army. Finding someone who fulfilled all the requirements wasn’t very feasible.
This problem greatly distressed King Song.
The debate was intensifying in the hall, just as it had for the last few days. Just when King Song had just about had his fill of all this and was prepared to leave, he heard a set of hurried footsteps from outside.
“Reporting!”
A Golden Guard gripping a large golden halberd in one hand and a memorial in the other respectfully kneeled on the ground.
“A major victory in Qixi! Four days ago, the Black Wolf Yabgu of the Western Turkic Khaganate made a night raid on the Qixi Armory, but he was ambushed by the soldiers of Wang Chong, the Young Marquis of Wushang. Four thousand, five hundred and sixty-eight Turkic elites were killed, as was Black Wolf Yabgu Agudu Lan. Our side achieved a major victory!”
Boom!
The news instantly sent massive waves through the hall. Not many people knew the name of Agudu Lan, but they did know what the word ‘Yabgu’ meant.
In the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates, this title wielded great influence, and the majority had imperial blood running through their veins. In a certain manner, they were similar to the Imperial Princes of the Great Tang.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 834 - Qixi Protector-General! Wang Chong?
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C834 - Qixi Protector-General! Wang Chong?
Chapter 834: Qixi Protector-General! Wang Chong?
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Most important of all was that though no one knew of the name ‘Agudu Lan’, the words ‘Black Wolf Yabgu’ were ones that appeared with extremely high frequency in the court.
This title could be found on the list of enemies of both Qixi and Beiting. This man was undoubtedly one of the core members of the war faction in the Western Turkic Khaganate, one of the members of the Turkic upper crust that gave both Qixi and Beiting massive headaches.
No one had expected that this man wanted by the Great Tang Imperial Court, who was such a vexing foe on the northern border, would end up dying by Wang Chong’s hands.
“How could this be? This Black Wolf Yabgu has always been crafty. Beiting and Qixi have worked together multiple times to try and kill him, but he always managed to notice early on and flee. How did he die in Qixi?”
“When Fumeng Lingcha was in Qixi, he couldn’t kill him, so how could he be killed when Qixi is without Fumeng Lingcha and completely leaderless?”
“Could it be an error? Problems like this have happened before. When we previously thought that the Black Wolf Yabgu had died in Beiting, he would up appearing again as well as ever.”
“How could that be? Others might make that mistake, but would the Young Marquis? He rendered great service to the court in the southwest, and His Majesty even conferred a courtesy name upon him. Would he be so incapable as to not recognize the Black Wolf Yabgu? Formally submitting a report of victory to the Imperial Court is no minor affair!”
The hall was awash with chatter. The military officials knew the details about the Black Wolf Yabgu and were rather stunned by this news. As for the civil officials, although some of them still doubted Wang Chong, the majority deeply trusted in his reports.
After all, Duke Jiu had served as the leader of the civil officials in his tenure, and he was a man of high character and prestige, respected by all the people of the world. His grandson would never do something like lie on a military report.
An amiable voice rang out from the upper reaches of the hall. The Eunuch Director of the Inner Court, Gao Lishi, the Sage Emperor’s attendant, raised the horsetail whisk in his hand and ordered, “Bring the report up!”
The hall was instantly silenced. Everyone watched as the Golden Guard with the report stood up and walked through the center of the hall toward the throne.
No one noticed that King Song was closely watching this Golden Guard, his brow furrowed as his mind came to grips with a still-indistinct idea.
Eunuch Gao took the memorial from the Golden Guard and passed it behind the bead curtain. A few moments later, the memorial reappeared in Eunuch Gao’s hands.
“The identity of the Black Wolf Yabgu of the Western Turks has been confirmed. The Yabgu’s seal and tiger tally1, as well as the Black Wolf Yabgu’s head, are already en route to the capital!”
Eunuch Gao gave a faint smile, his expression ruddy as he announced this matter to the assembled officials.
Buzz!
The hall once again began to buzz with chatter, though there were no objections this time. As in the Great Tang, high Turkic officials like Yabgus had a Yabgu seal on their person as proof of their identity. The seal served as the most important proof of one’s identity, and the Black Wolf Yabgu would never just leave it behind. If Wang Chong was able to kill the Black Wolf Yabgu and also get his seal, then it seemed like there was nothing to doubt about his report.
“I didn’t think that he would actually kill the Black Wolf Yabgu!!”
Everyone felt their hearts thumping in their chests. That Black Wolf Yabgu who had wreaked havoc across the northwest had died, died at the hands of Wang Chong. Through a method that caught everyone completely off guard, the curtain had finally dropped on this crafty foe, and the one who had killed him was a mere youth of seventeen.
“The reputation of the Wang Clan’s Qilin son is truly deserved.”
Even now, they all found it difficult to shake off the shock of hearing this news.
While the officials were still murmuring to each other, King Song suddenly stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the Sage Emperor’s throne. “Your Majesty, this subject has a memorial!” With this request, he instantly captured the attention of all the officials in the hall.
“Your Highness King Song, speak.”
Eunuch Gao looked down from above, a gentle smile on his lips.
King Song clasped his hands and solemnly declared, “This subject has a proposal for a candidate for the new Qixi Protector-General. This lowly subject strongly recommends the Young Marquis of Wushang, Wang Chong, as the new Qixi Protector-General!”
Bang!
King Song’s words were like a meteor crashing into the center hall, immediately unleashing a storm amongst the officials.
“Absurd!”
King Qi was the first to step forward.
“King Song, have you gone crazy? That Wang Chong is still a teenager, and you’re recommending him for Qixi Protector-General! Of all the candidates nominated by the officials here, which one of them is not more qualified than Wang Chong? If he could become Qixi Protector-General, wouldn’t that mean everyone was qualified? And how could that immature boy persuade the masses!”
King Qi had an extremely agitated expression. Putting aside his private grudges with King Song, in his many clashes with him, King Qi had never been so shocked as he was today. Anyone with a brain wouldn’t recommend a seventeen-year-old to take such an important post as Qixi Protector-General. Even if he discarded all the enmity they had for each other, King Qi would have refused such a proposal purely on objective measures.
This was the most ridiculous proposal King Qi had heard in his entire life.
“Your Highness, forgive my rudeness.” Even the aged Imperial Censor Hao couldn’t help but step forward and oppose the motion. “Although this old subject has always viewed Your Highness with great respect, is Your Highness’s suggestion not a little too rash? A seventeen-year-old taking the post of Qixi Protector-General, wielding actual power over tens of thousands of soldiers—there is no precedent for such a thing in all the empire’s history. Might Your Highness’s suggestion be inappropriate?”
“Your Highness, this is not acceptable.” Even the Tongluo Great General Abusi, who rarely interfered during court debates, had to step forward and object. “I know that Your Highness has a good relationship with the Wang Clan, but the Qixi Protector-General post is tied to all of the Western Regions and the well-being of the tens of thousands of soldiers of Qixi. By proposing that a seventeen-year-old child take such an important post, is Your Highness not treating this matter too lightly? Abusi finds it impossible to agree!”
In Kunwu Training Camp, Wang Chong had stripped his son Abutong naked and tied him to a bamboo pole for the entire camp to see, humiliating both father and son. For King Song to propose that Wang Chong be made Protector-General was something that Abusi could not accept.
Another official stepped out and objected. “That’s right. The Qixi Protectorate has many Hu soldiers, and during the Regional Commanders Incident, Wang Chong worsened his relationship with them, with the Qixi commanders even submitting a memorial censuring Wang Chong and desiring his execution. And this time, Wang Chong also impeached Fumeng Lingcha, so why would the Hu of Qixi submit to him? If he were to take the post of Qixi Protector-General, wouldn’t this lead to Qixi splintering even further? Not only would this be of no benefit to Qixi’s safety, it would be adding disaster onto disaster. Forgive me, but I cannot agree to this!”
“Yes, putting aside everything else, does he even fulfill the requirements in terms of martial arts? This proposal cannot be allowed to pass!”
One official after another voiced their objections, and by the end, more than half of the court was standing opposed to King Song.
“Your Highness…”
Even Wang Chong’s big uncle Wang Gen was staring speechlessly at King Song. This proposal was simply too bold. Not even he would have had the nerve to say such things. In terms of qualifications and record of service, wouldn’t Wang Chong’s father, Wang Yan, be more suitable? Wang Gen couldn’t understand why King Song had proposed Wang Chong instead.
Meanwhile, the new Minister of War Zhangchou Jianqiong and Yang Zhao were exchanging flabbergasted gazes.
Not even they had anticipated this proposal from King Song. But at this time, the two wisely chose to remain silent and see how the situation developed.
During all this, King Song remained calm, a smile on his lips. As he listened to the fierce objections from the court, that indistinct idea in his mind grew clearer and clearer, and his smile grew larger and larger.
“Your Majesty, and my colleagues of the court, I believe that not only is Young Marquis Wang Chong suitable for the post of Qixi, but that he is also the best candidate. There is no other person in the entire empire more suitable for this position.”
King Song had a composed expression, and his every move exuded a formidable and infectious confidence.
“I know why all of you oppose him: age, shallow record of service, inability to persuade the masses, and Wang Chong’s quarrels with the Hu living within the empire. However, I believe that one is qualified for Qixi Protector-General based on ability, not on minor details like this. Qixi occupies a very unique position, the vital throat that connects the interior to the Western Regions. To the west is the Tibetan Plateau, soaring into the clouds. The Tibetan cavalry could charge down from there at any time to plunder the Central Plains. Meanwhile, to the east is the Turkic steppe, the land of the Western Turkic Khaganate. These two factions have always been a serious danger for our Great Tang, and our previous discussions to select a Qixi Protector-General as quickly as possible were also because the forces of these two empires might avail themselves of the chaos to strike.
“But now, everyone can see what Qixi is like after Fumeng Lingcha’s departure. To the west, after the battle at the triangular gap, the Tibetans have lost one hundred thousand men and Brigadier General Dayan Mangban, with even Dusong Mangpoje fleeing in defeat. It will probably be some time until they finally gather enough soldiers to invade the interior once more. As for the east, the greatest problem had always been the Black Wolf Yabgu, Agudu Lan, but now, even Agudu Lan is dead. And this was while Wang Chong was not even Qixi Protector-General… Before he was even Qixi Protector-General, he already finished everything that a Qixi Protector-General should do, resolving the threats to the west and the east. If he is not suitable for Qixi Protector-General, then who is?”
King Song’s mind grew clearer the more he spoke, and he grew even more confident in his recommendation of Wang Chong as Qixi Protector-General.
“And have my honorable colleagues forgotten about the war of the southwest, how Wang Chong snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and routed both Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang? Even Duan Gequan, Huoshu Huicang, and Dalun Ruozan lost to him, and now we can even add Dusong Mangpoje to this list… he even managed to salvage this sort of difficult situation against such formidable adversaries, even killing more than four hundred thousand soldiers of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army. If this cannot be considered an accomplished record of service, what can? More than a thousand years ago, Gan Luo of the Great Qin Empire was made a minister at the age of twelve. What is unacceptable about Wang Chong’s being made Qixi Protector-General at the age of seventeen?”
King Song’s voice grew louder and louder, ringing through the hall. Once King Song spoke his final words, the entire hall was silent, no one able to answer his questions.
______________
1. The tiger tally was a two-part object used for military identification purposes. One half was given to the officer in question, while the other half would be kept so that it could be matched with its counterpart.↩
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 835 - The World Stunned—the Youngest Protector-General!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C835 - The World Stunned—the Youngest Protector-General!
Chapter 835: The World Stunned—the Youngest Protector-General!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Everything King Song had said was true!
Wang Chong’s record of achievements was definitely not something any other seventeen-year-old youth could produce, and his actions could not be measured purely by his age. King Song’s words had left the assembled officials dumbstruck, and even King Qi found himself momentarily unable to find a good retort.
After some time, one of the generals who had fiercely opposed King Song’s suggestion finally stepped forward, though his voice was much softer. “But it was previously said that according to the laws of the empire, a Protector-General must at least be an Imperial Great General, at the peak of the Saint Martial realm. Moreover, his conflicts with the Hu go so deep that they definitely won’t agree. How will these problems be addressed?”
“Hahaha, those are easy to take care of,” King Song said with a chuckle.
“I recommend Wang Chong because he was able to stabilize Qixi. Since he still has not reached the sufficient level of martial arts, have him temporarily occupy the Qixi Protector-General post. As for the native Hu, they can be treated as a test. If he cannot even deal with a problem like this, then it will show that I made a poor judgment and that his abilities are not sufficient to be Qixi Protector-General. When that time comes, Your Majesty can remove him from the post.”
The general was rendered speechless by King Song’s rebuttal.
Unable to suppress his temper any longer, King Qi blurted out, “Absurd, ridiculous, preposterous! Proposing for a seventeen-year-old boy to become Qixi Protector-General—you’ve gone mad! In any case, no matter what you say, I won’t agree.”
“Haha, we’re only nominating candidates. In the end, His Majesty is still the one who decides who the next Qixi Protector-General will be. As for your view, it is not important. Let us leave everything to His Majesty’s judgment.”
King Song laughed and chose not to wrangle with King Qi, instead turning to that most revered sovereign behind the bead curtain, his expression confident.
The hall was quiet as all the chattering died away. After seven to eight days and more than two hundred candidates, it was about time to finally choose the most suitable candidate.
As everyone silently waited for what seemed like an eternity, that majestic voice rang out through the hall like that of a god speaking from the high heavens.
“Granted!”
At this moment, everyone, including King Qi, was dumbstruck, their minds blank.
“This subject will carry out the decree!”
King Song’s voice echoed through the hall. He had an excited look on his face, and though he tried his hardest, he couldn’t stop his smile from getting larger and larger.
Success!
The Emperor had actually accepted his proposal to have Wang Chong serve as temporary Qixi Protector-General. This was the best news King Song had heard in these last few days, and he was exuberant.
Wang Chong, I’ve done all I can to help you. The rest is up to you, King Song said to himself with his head lowered, his thoughts on Wang Chong in distant Qixi.
……
“What?”
In the City of Steel, when Wang Chong heard about what happened in the capital, he was dumbfounded, not daring to believe his ears.
“King Song recommended me as Qixi Protector-General, and His Majesty actually permitted it?!”
He had spent three to four months in Wushang and fought several large battles, but no news had come as such a shock and surprise to Wang Chong as this one. He had thought of many possible candidates, but never had he believed that King Song would recommend him, and that the Sage Emperor would even take this recommendation. Even though Wang Chong was someone who could make plans in a tent that would decide a battle a thousand li away, he was still left bewildered and stupefied by this news.
“How could this be? I’m only seventeen. Given the style of the officials in the court, how could they permit a seventeen-year-old to take on an important post like Protector-General? Where’s King Song’s letter? Let me take a look!”
Wang Chong’s mind was in turmoil as he struggled to digest this news.
“Haha, Lord Marquis, although you might only be seventeen, no one in the City of Steel would dare treat Lord Marquis as such. And Lord Marquis, if we asked the surrounding countries, whether it was Ü-Tsang, the Western Turks, or the distant Mengshe Zhao in the southwest, would any of them dare say that Lord Marquis was a mere seventeen-year-old?”
Xu Keyi couldn’t help but chuckle as he handed over King Song’s letter, and the other people in the room reacted in much the same way.
“Regardless of what other people think, in our eyes, no one but Lord Marquis is more appropriate for the position of Qixi Protector-General. In truth, the court should have made this decision ages ago.”
Cheng Sanyuan could no longer hold back his opinion.
“When holding an office, one should ponder the duties of that office. The Imperial Court emphasizes ability, not age, so why is Lord Marquis suddenly so lacking in confidence?”
Li Siye had finally decided to speak, his voice as loud as a bell.
Wang Chong gave a bitter smile. He was rather surprised to see all his subordinates so dissatisfied, all of them believing that he should have been made Protector-General ages ago.
“Heheh, right now, you’re probably the only one still confused about all this. Even His Majesty thinks you’re good enough, so why should you not feel the same? At the very least, I believe in you.”
Xu Qiqin was sitting next to him in an elegant pearwood chair, her delicate fingers covering up the smile on her face.
King Song’s letter, though shocking, was not surprising, at least not to the people at Wang Chong’s side. This was someone who could salvage and pacify the southwest; one who could crush the White Braves, kill Dayan Mangban, and frighten away Dusong Mangpoje; one who could lure someone as cautious and crafty as the Black Wolf Yabgu into a trap and bury him in Qixi…
If someone like this could not become Qixi’s Protector-General, then no one in the Great Tang was worthy of that seat. This was a view shared by Xu Qiqin and everyone else in the room.
Wang Chong felt a warmth in his heart as he smiled, and he quickly made a decision and began to read King Song’s letter. Within, King Song had given a recount of the proceedings and mentioned that this was only an advance notice. The formal decree from the Imperial Court would be following soon, and the emissary meant to announce the decree had already left the capital.
However, the news had already been delivered to the Qixi Protectorate as well as to all the Great Generals, Protector-Generals, and titled generals on the border, both Hu and Han. From a certain perspective, Wang Chong was already the Qixi Protector-General.
In addition, King Song had also mentioned that because Wang Chong’s martial arts were still lacking, this was only a temporary post. But if nothing unexpected occurred, as long as Wang Chong didn’t make any mistakes, then once Wang Chong reached the appropriate level of martial arts, the Imperial Court would formally appoint him as Qixi Protector-General.
Never in the history of the Great Tang had such a young individual taken up such an important post as Protector-General.
King Song had also warned Wang Chong that the Qixi Protectorate army was currently in a state of chaos, having splintered into numerous factions. In addition, by toppling Fumeng Lingcha, Wang Chong had enraged no small number of people within Qixi. At the very least, many of the Hu would not accept his command, and many of them would probably regard him as their enemy.
This was a problem that Wang Chong had to resolve.
If he could not, then Wang Chong’s tenure as Qixi Protector-General would probably be very brief, as substantial as the moon in the water. Thus, Wang Chong’s seat as Qixi Protector-General was unstable from the outset.
However, King Song had vouched to the Sage Emperor that he believed Wang Chong could find an ideal solution for this problem. Thus, if Wang Chong encountered any difficulties, King Song’s name would be dragged into the mud.
His Highness truly has a lot of faith in me. If this is how it is, then I’m basically forced into being Qixi’s Protector-General!
Wang Chong’s lips perked into a confident smile.
……
“Bastard! Wang Chong, how could it be Wang Chong?”
“Has the court lost its minds? They could have even selected a random person on the road, but definitely not that brat!”
“That scoundrel was the one who got Great General into prison, and this bastard also wants to expel us Hu! Did they really think we already forgot?”
“Unacceptable! This won’t be happening! No matter what the Imperial Court says, I’ll never accept him as Protector-General!”
“Everyone who still remembers how well Protector-General treated us, stand with me! I don’t believe that that bastard can deal with all of us!”
Around three hundred li away from Wushang, in the Qixi Protectorate headquarters, the news that Wang Chong had been appointed as Qixi Protector-General had the effect of poking a beehive, making the entire place essentially explode. Within the protectorate, the hawk-eyed, high-nosed, and bearded Hu officers had gathered together and were making a terrible ruckus.
Even though they had struggled against each other for the position of Protector-General, almost to the point of actually fighting over it, at this very moment, all of them had agreed on how to treat Wushang’s Wang Chong.
While the Hu commanders were fuming and grumbling, a blue-eyed and thick-bearded Hu leapt onto a table. “Everyone, listen up! I don’t care what all of you thought before. The new Protector-General could be you, could be me, could be anyone else amongst us, but it absolutely cannot be a Han. The Qixi Protector-General must be a Hu. This is the prerequisite for our compliance. Even if the Imperial Court appointed that brat as the Qixi Protector-General, who cares? Don’t forget that saying, ‘the heavens are high and the Emperor is far away’!”
This man’s expression was savage, like a beast that had eaten nothing for ten-some days. His gaze alone was enough to make people tremble in fear.
Most frightening of all was the sharp energy rising off him in waves. It was clear that he was a level above the other Hu commanders, a crane amongst chickens. The Hu commanders had gathered around him, clearly regarding him as their leader.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 836 - Earthquake! Winds Stir, Clouds Gather! (I)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C836 - Earthquake! Winds Stir, Clouds Gather! (I)
Chapter 836:Earthquake! Winds Stir, Clouds Gather! (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Gudu Li, what are you planning? Don’t forget, that brat is a marquis of the Great Tang. Would you really dare to attack him?” a Hu commander in the crowd suddenly called out.
“Hey hey, all of you might be afraid of him, but I’m not!”
Gudu Li stood on the metal fretwork table, a fierce expression on his face and a savage light in his eyes.
“As long as all of you are willing to dare with me, I dare to make him pay attention. A mere teenager who hasn’t even managed to grow some hair over his lip—do all of you really want to listen to the orders of someone like that? And don’t forget, how did Lord Fumeng Lingcha treat us? If there was a good post, wouldn’t he always give it to us? Now is the perfect time to take revenge for our lord, but are all of you getting cold feet now?”
“That’s right! Our lord treated us with favor as weighty as the mountains. If we don’t avenge our lord, won’t be we be just like those timid Han?”
“Right on! Avenge our lord!”
“No matter what the Imperial Court decrees, we should submit a memorial asking for the release of our lord.”
The mention of Great General Fumeng Lingcha immediately had everyone following Gudu Li’s tune.
“Hey hey! Good, as long as you follow me, we won’t kill him just yet, but I’ll at least make it impossible for him to stand firmly within the Qixi Protectorate so that he’ll slink out of here in shame! The Hu should make the decisions in the territory of the Hu!” Gudu Li loudly declared, striking while the iron was hot.
“Good! Hear hear! We Hu should make the decisions in the territory of the Hu!”
The already riled-up crowd of Hu commanders immediately exploded into cheers.
The explosive cheers shook the roof of the hall and traveled far, very far. Several hundred meters from the main hall of the protectorate, several cavalrymen had gathered together. A young Hu amongst them turned his head in unease toward the Hu general behind him.
“Milord, what do we do?”
“This is quite the problem…”
Heba Ye appeared to not hear his subordinate’s worried question, his eyes still fixed on the distant hall. Gudu Li was one of Fumeng Lingcha’s trusted subordinates, but at the start, he had not wielded any actual power. However, by using his status as a trusted subordinate and his ability to rile up a crowd, Gudu Li had managed to raise his reputation in the Qixi Protectorate army until it had surpassed his own, even though he was the general overseeing the defenses on the Tibetan border.
As he and Gudu Li had a complete difference of opinion, he had not gone into the hall.
“Wang Chong…. is not as easy to deal with as you think he is!”
Heba Ye thought back to the triangular gap and the sight of Wang Chong leading his Wushang Cavalry sweeping unstoppably through the Tibetan force and ultimately even killing Dayan Mangban, and his heart went cold. That youth within the City of Steel was a most dreadful opponent on the battlefield. He would rather have him as a friend than foe.
“Let’s go!”
Heba Ye turned his horse around and swiftly disappeared in the direction of the Tibetan Plateau.
……
Meanwhile, carrier pigeons were flying to the other border protectorates, delivering the news that Wang Chong had been made the new Qixi Protector-General. In contrast to the complicated effects this news had within the Qixi Protectorate, the reactions were much simpler.
“What? Wang Chong of the City of Steel was actually made Qixi Protector-General?”
Within the Anxi Protectorate, Gao Xianzhi’s eyes flew open, and he didn’t dare to believe his ears.
“How could that be? How could those old officials in the court agree to this? And putting aside everything else, his martial arts shouldn’t be at the peak of the Saint Martial realm yet, right? And there are so many extremely experienced generals in the military with long records of service. Were they all rejected?”
“The old officials in the court truly did not agree. It was King Song who silenced them all and wholeheartedly recommended him. In addition, his martial arts truly are lacking, so he is only serving as temporary Protector-General, not as the true Protector-General. In addition, I’ve investigated this matter…”
Feng Changqing was standing near Gao Xianzhi, and he looked up at his commander in hesitation before continuing.
“Just before the Imperial Court issued its decree, he ambushed the Black Wolf Yabgu at Qixi Armory. Agudu Lan was killed and his five thousand Turkic elites were almost wiped out.”
Buzz!
Gao Xianzhi’s entire body trembled, and he instantly calmed down. Not long ago, Wang Chong had killed Tibetan Brigadier General Dayan Mangban at the battle of the triangular gap, and exterminated the White Braves who had awed and intimidated all of the Western Regions. This had taken place around a month ago, and now, Wang Chong had even killed Agudu Lan.
These were the two most famous enemy commanders of Qixi, but in the space of two months, both had died to Wang Chong. Even Gao Xianzhi was speechless at this moment.
“When an awl is in a bag, its point will immediately poke through. It seems like nothing can hide the radiance coming off this youngest son of the Wang Clan!”
Gao Xianzhi sighed, his heart filled with emotion.
He was no Han, and his background was completely different from other Han commanders. To work his way up from an ordinary foot soldier to Anxi Protector-General, Gao Xianzhi didn’t even know how much of a price he had had to pay, how much sweat and blood he had to put in. Just breaking free of Fumeng Lingcha’s control had been extremely risky for him, a journey fraught with barriers that had him teetering on the brink of death.
In complete contrast was Wang Chong’s smooth and rapid ascension, reaching the post of temporary Protector-General in the space of a year. Even Gao Xianzhi had to admit that he was a little envious. It felt like the younger generation was overtaking the old, like the new waves of a river pushing down the old.
But even so, Gao Xianzhi also had to admit that Wang Chong’s current accomplishments had not been made by relying on his luck and background. The talent for command he had revealed on his campaigns had been stupendous and outstanding. Even as an Imperial Great General, Gao Xianzhi was stunned and dazzled.
Wang Chong’s abilities were truly far above those of his peers. At the age of seventeen, Gao Xianzhi would have found it impossible to compare himself to Wang Chong.
“But that’s not the only thing. Milord, if Wang Chong really does assume the post of Qixi Protector-General, many of our plans will have to change. We can’t simply attempt to suppress or contend against him anymore. Qixi controls the transportation of our supplies and soldiers. In the future, we will be dependent on them for many things and will have to interact with them,” Feng Changqing said, a worried look in his eyes.
Although Wang Chong might have been Duke Jiu’s grandson, a scion from a clan of ministers and generals, the Son of Heaven’s disciple, and the Young Marquis, this was the western border, where the heavens were high and the Emperor was far away. The statuses of Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing meant that they could disregard many things. But now that Wang Chong was the Qixi Protector-General and had seized the vital thoroughfare of Qixi, everything was different.
It had to be said that the Imperial Court’s decree had caught both of them completely off guard.
Gao Xianzhi said nothing, but one could see from the furrowing of his thick and straight brows that he shared the same opinion as Feng Changqing.
“But Milord should also not be too worried. Qixi has quite a lot of Hu, and if the Young Marquis wants to truly sit upon the Protector-General’s seat, he still has a long way to go. If he truly manages to get through that pass, we can reconsider how we should interact with him,” Feng Changqing said.
“Aaah, that’s all we can do.”
Gao Xianzhi gave a long sigh.
……
At the same time, in the distant Longxi, Big Dipper City’s shock at the news that Wang Chong was being made Qixi Protector-General was no less than Anxi’s.
“A seventeen-year-old Imperial Protector-General? How could there be something like this? The court approved this, and His Majesty even passed the proposal!”
Geshu Han gripped the message from the capital in his hands, his mind still reeling from shock. Not even the appearance of the Ü-Tsang King of Generals, the White Lion Great General We Tadra Khonglo, had given him as much of a shock. This news was simply too unrealistic.
He had been keeping a close watch on the court debates. After seeing all those officials recommending so many experienced and long-serving generals, Geshu Han had never expected them to ultimately pick Wang Chong.
It wasn’t just Geshu Han. All the Big Dipper Army commanders around him were also in a stunned daze.
The news from the capital had been like a reef hidden deep in the water, catching them by surprise and dealing them a massive shock.
“It’s absurd! In a single year, he reached the post of Qixi Protector-General!”
“Qixi also has that Qixi Armory set up by the imperial household. Our Big Dipper Army receives armaments and supplies from that place every year. If this really is the case, then our Big Dipper Army will be under his control!”
“Am I going deaf? Protector-General! Just this achievement alone is enough to leave his name on the history books to be revered for centuries after he’s gone!”
“But isn’t he too young? Why did the court let it through? There’s no way the masses would accept this!”
“The acceptance of the masses? Do you still think he’s some ordinary youth? In the war of the southwest, he killed more than four hundred thousand soldiers of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army, and now he’s killed Dayan Mangban and Agudu Lan, burying countless Tibetan and Turkic warriors with them. This is a god of slaughter! Do you think the court would recommend him for no reason? His current achievements are simply not something the court can ignore!”
The Big Dipper Army commanders were still struggling to come to grips with the idea. When Wang Chong had first arrived at Wushang and begun constructing the City of Steel, everyone had treated him as an outsider. Even though he had achieved enormous feats in the southwest, he was still just a teenager in their eyes. A one-time achievement wasn’t proof of anything. It was luck, coincidence, not a guarantee of transcendent strength or a sign that it would last for very long.
But to their surprise, Wang Chong had succeeded in building that grandiose City of Steel, firming up his foundation, and had also begun to achieve feat after feat: defeating the Tibetans, defeating the Turks, killing Dayan Mangban and Agudu Lan. Finally, he had ascended to the post of Qixi Protector-General.
And all this had taken place in only a few months since Wang Chong’s arrival at Wushang. This advancement speed was like he was climbing a ladder to the heavens, leaving everyone slack-jawed and wide-eyed!
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 837 - Earthquake! Winds Stir, Clouds Gather! (II)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C837 - Earthquake! Winds Stir, Clouds Gather! (II)
Chapter 837: Earthquake! Winds Stir, Clouds Gather! (II)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Milord, should we continue working against Wang Chong? Qing Ze has already gone to connect with all two hundred and forty thousand bandits and brigands on the Silk Road. In addition, we still have that ban on vegetable, grain, and fruit merchants going to Wushang. Should this ban be continued?” a cautious voice in the room probed, breaking the atmosphere of shock. The speaker was a bearded Hu general of apparently rather high status standing at Geshu Han’s side.
When Wang Chong had just arrived at Wushang, Geshu Han had given his subordinate Qing Ze a test by ordering him to deal with Wang Chong and prevent Wushang from establishing any roots. The most obvious and most practical method was to ban any fruits, grains, or vegetables, these necessities of life, from reaching Wushang. After all, the nearest supply point for Wushang in the Central Plains was Longxi.
‘The world is rich and prosperous, but nowhere surpasses Longxi’ was a saying that referred to the fact that Longxi was the most prosperous region in the Central Plains. The earth there was fertile, the lands spacious, so it was the easiest place to get supplies from. Back in the capital, Wang Chong had promised that he would develop Wushang into a unique commercial and transportation hub of the Silk Road, providing caravans a place to rest, resupply, and seek shelter and protection.
The vast amount needed to supply all these people as well as the garrison could only be obtained from Longxi. As for Qixi, the meaning of the word ‘Qi’1 was enough to dispel that idea. That such a barren and near-desert region was able to sustain such a large garrison was already quite impressive.
It was absolutely impossible for Wang Chong to receive sufficient logistical support from Qixi.
Thus, when the time came, Wang Chong would have no other option than to get his supplies from the capital. The road between the capital and Wushang was long, and if one added into the mix the two hundred and forty thousand bandits and brigands on the road… one could easily imagine the result. But now, Wang Chong was Qixi Protector-General, and everything was different.
If Geshu Han dared to continue on this course of action, it would no longer be a test, but a direct confrontation with Wang Chong!
The Protector-Generals and Great Generals of the empire all held influential status and power, and a clash between two such figures was no laughing matter. Even Geshu Han would have to seriously consider the pros and cons.
Geshu Han said nothing, raising his head to look at the slightly blackened roof of the hall that had been repaired several times over the course of Big Dipper City’s battles, a complicated look in his eyes.
The Great Tang of the Central Plains had experienced many years of peace, and the upper levels of the power structure had solidified ages ago, with the candidates for high-ranking positions like Protector-General and Great General already set in stone. Wang Chong’s appearance and his rapid promotion had broken all the rules.
With a sharpness that left everyone surprised and uncomfortable, he had rapidly left the southwest and entered the northwest, all the way until he was sitting on the post of Qixi Protector-General!
In Geshu Han’s life of ups and downs, trials and tribulations, successes and failures, he had never encountered a situation like this.
“Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, Duan Gequan, Dusong Mangpoje, Dayan Mangban, Agudu Lan… Although I still feel the Imperial Court’s promoting a seventeen-year-old so quickly to the post of Protector-General is a decision made too hastily, he truly did achieve his current state by proving his strength every step of the way. Tell Qing Ze to return! Have those bandits and brigands disperse, and cancel all the plans we decided on. The times have changed, and we cannot challenge a Protector-General!”
Geshu Han gave a long sigh.
“Yes!”
A Big Dipper commander quickly left with the order.
……
The news of Wang Chong’s promotion arrived in Beiting and Andong as well, and the entire political system of the empire was dealt a massive shock. But in the distant Ü-Tsang Empire, the mood was completely different.
In the massive royal capital, all was eerily silent. In the royal palace at its very heart, smoke spiraled out of incense burners, but nobody within the hall spoke. Everyone was focused on a metal fretwork table, around four feet high and covered with mysterious inscriptions.
On the table, a black pigeon with golden eyes was cooing, freely looking around as if unaware of the nervous tension that filled the hall to the bursting. But everyone knew that this hall was weighed down by this strange pressure precisely because of the news this pigeon had delivered.
“Your Majesty, although Fumeng Lingcha is gone, he’s been replaced by the even more formidable Wang Chong, with Wang Chong even taking Fumeng Lingcha’s former post. This is extremely ill news for our Ü-Tsang Empire!” A worried and anxious voice echoed within the hall.
“The war of the southwest, the destruction of Zhangzhung Training Camp, the grievous losses at the triangular gap… in total, we’ve already lost more than four hundred thousand elite cavalry to that Great Tang youth, and the plague has still not been brought under complete control—the dead cows and sheep are piling up into mountains! That he’s now become Qixi Protector-General is a great disaster for our Ü-Tsang Empire! And besides that, he’s also built that fortress on our Tibetan Plateau! This is completely unprecedented!” Another voice rang out in agreement.
In the past, the people the Ü-Tsang Empire feared were Zhangchou Jianqiong, Geshu Han, Fumeng Lingcha, and Gao Xianzhi, these four Imperial Great Generals of the Great Tang, but now, another name had rapidly superseded these names, becoming the most feared existence in the entire Ü-Tsang Empire. This name was ‘Wang Chong’. It wasn’t like the Tibetans had never lost to the Great Tang before, and the strongest of their Great Generals had even pushed all the way to the royal capital. But those had all been regular wars, where it was easy tell where they had lost, where they were weak.
There had never been anyone like Wang Chong who had resorted to methods beyond the battlefield, spreading plague across the plateau. Moreover, his grasp of tactics and his ability to command troops in battle had far surpassed any of the famed Tang generals Ü-Tsang had encountered. Not only that, Wang Chong had managed to avoid all eyes and ears in his attack on Zhangzhung, penetrating deep into the Tibetan interior to annihilate the entire training camp and eight thousand Qinghai Soldiers.
This matter left the entire Ü-Tsang Empire trembling in fear and unease, because there was no doubt that Wang Chong had found some secret path up to the plateau. If they did not find this path, Wang Chong would be able to enter the plateau at any time without being noticed and leave whenever he pleased.
This was like a knife that could be pressed against one’s neck at any moment, and in a situation where one had no idea where the knife was coming from or how it could be avoided.
“Your Majesty, no matter what, we must think of a way to kill Wang Chong. Otherwise, not only will we be unable to freely leave through the northeast, but will find ourselves completely locked off from the north.”
All the famed generals in the hall turned to that figure seated above.
The Tsenpo said nothing. He only listened to the opinions of his subjects, his thick brows creased and the flames of irritation raging in his heart.
War, war… kill Wang Chong!
How could he not know that this Great Tang youth needed to be killed as soon as possible? But Dalun Ruozan had lost, Huoshu Huicang had lost, Dayan Pugyal had lost, Dayan Mangban had lost, and Dusong Mangpoje had also lost. Two of the empire’s most formidable Great Generals and one of its Great Ministers had lost to that Wang Chong, and they had paid the two-hundred-thousand-some cavalry that the Ngari Royal Lineage had taken ten-some years to accumulate, as well as countless cows and sheep.
That brat from the Great Tang wasn’t dead, but the Ü-Tsang Empire was fast approaching its breaking point.
“Enough!”
Suddenly, a voice rang out through the hall, not at all sharp, but mellow and rich. Yet this voice silenced the hall, everyone quickly shutting their mouths.
“All armies are ordered to keep their distance from the northern border. All hostilities in the northern region are henceforth forbidden!” the voice commanded, neither too loud nor too soft.
Only the Imperial Great Minister, Dalon Trinling, had the authority to speak and issue decrees on the Tsenpo’s behalf. As expected, Dalon Trinling’s words immediately made all the officials and generals in the hall turn docile, all their ruthlessness dissipating. Even the Tsenpo appeared much more relaxed.
“The empire has lost enough soldiers in the north. Even Dayan Mangban died there, and Dusong Mangpoje returned with heavy injuries, making him incapable of going into battle for the short term. Patriarch Dusong, do you know where Dusong Mangpoje is? And how are his injuries doing?”
Dalon Trinling held his hands behind his back, his narrow eyes bursting with intelligence turning to a muscular and bulky figure within the hall.
“Many thanks for Great Minister’s concern. Upon returning from his defeat, Mangpoje immediately went to the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple to prostrate on the ground. He has still not returned, nor has he sent us any message,” Dusong Gonjo said with a bow.
The Dusong Clan and the Dayan Clan were ancient lineages of the Ü-Tsang Empire, and Dusong Gonjo was the current head of the Dusong Clan. Dusong Mangpoje was hailed as the eagle of the Dusong Clan, the most brilliant figure of this generation as well as an Ü-Tsang Great General. When Dusong Gonjo heard of Dusong Mangpoje’s miserable defeat at the triangular gap, he immediately felt ashamed and humiliated, but when he saw the dreadful wounds on Dusong Mangpoje’s body, he found himself incapable of uttering a word of reproach.
It was obvious that Dusong Mangpoje had encountered some unspeakable danger. If he had not reacted so promptly, it wouldn’t have just been tens of thousands of soldiers dying at the triangular gap. Even the most outstanding representative of the Dusong Clan, an Ü-Tsang Imperial Great General, would have ended up offering himself to the triangular gap, a truly unacceptable loss to the Dusong Clan.
What was important was that Dusong Mangpoje had survived.
“I see.”
Dalon Trinling nodded, his face emotionless, but there was a twinkle deep within his eyes. Tens of thousands of elites had died at the triangular gap, and even the Dayan Clan’s Dayan Mangban had met his end. The one who felt the most remorse over these losses was probably Dusong Mangpoje himself.
This was probably why he had gone to the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple to prostrate on the ground immediately after his return. Unfortunately, Dusong Mangpoje would find it very difficult to get what he desired.
Flap flap!
While Dalon Trinling was thinking, the flapping of wings suddenly attracted everyone’s attention.
______________
1. As said before, the word ‘碛’ or ‘Qi’ means ‘desert’.↩
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 838 - Dusong Mangpoje and the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C838 - Dusong Mangpoje and the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple!
Chapter 838: Dusong Mangpoje and the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Dalon Trinling raised his head and saw that one of the royal capital guards had extended an arm. Perched upon this arm was a gorgeous and muscular specimen, a golden-eyed bird of prey.
This bird of prey could not be found in Ü-Tsang, the Great Tang, or even the Western and Eastern Turkic Khaganates. In all the continent, these birds called only one place their home.
This was an Arabian hunting falcon!
The gathered officials in the hall immediately paled.
“Great Minister! The Arabs of the west have sent a letter…”
The tall guard strode in, but before he could say any more, Imperial Great Minister Dalon Trinling raised a wrist, sending out a bolt of Stellar Energy that blew the Arabian hunting falcon and the letter tied to its legs into pieces, feathers and chunks of gore flying everywhere.
The guard stood at the door, speechless and dazed.
“I know. You are dismissed,” Dalon Trinling said in an indifferent voice, waving his hand while drawing his finger back into his sleeve.
Not a single one of the officials in the hall found Dalon Trinling’s actions excessive. Long before the Great Tang began to delve deeply into the Western Regions, Ü-Tsang and the Arabs had already fought over it many times.
Each side had suffered grievous casualties, each side with its own victories and defeats, a state that had persisted for more than a thousand years. Although they would occasionally cooperate, their relationship was more one of conflict. One could even say that in the Western Regions, they were mortal enemies. This was especially the case after the war of the southwest, when the Abbasid Caliphate used the chance presented by the complete destruction of the Ngari Royal Lineage’s army to attack the Tibetan base in Sindhu and steal all the secrets and results that had come out of the research into the army of giants.
With that, their sole collaboration had come to a complete end.
In the Ü-Tsang Empire, the mere mention of the Arabs was a taboo!
“Yes! Yes!”
When the royal capital guard saw that it was Dalon Trinling who had spoken, a fearful look appeared in his eyes, and he quickly bowed and left.
“Okay, let’s not talk about these things. Zhenzhu, I asked you to find a solution to the sheep plague. How is that progressing?” Dalon Trinling said.
“Yes, Great Minister. According to your orders, we successfully tracked down a recipe to cure the sheep plague from a teacher in Longxi. Our scouts have already succeeded in bringing it back,” one of the Tibetan officials below responded.
“Very good. This matter is far more urgent than any war in the north. Resolve this sheep plague as quickly as possible!” Dalon Trinling said.
“Yes! Great Minister!”
……
Whoosh!
Frigid winds blew down from the skies, stirring up mists of snow.
More than two thousand li from the royal capital, in a sparsely inhabited land, a massive mountain range loomed into the heavens. This mountain range stretched on for one hundred li, its cliffs so sharp and steep that they seemed to have been cut out of the earth with knives and axes. They soared high into the air, with the highest peaks being several thousand zhang tall, their summits lost deep within the clouds. These high mountains were all capped with snow, and if one looked from a distance at this mountain range, they would see a grandiose and magnificent sight that inspired awe and respect.
This was the holy land of Ü-Tsang, the location of the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple, the source of all of Ü-Tsang’s myths and legends.
Although the Ü-Tsang Empire was still far from the winter season, snow fell on the peak of the Great Snow Mountain throughout the year, with no break in any season, a phenomenon unique to the Great Snow Mountain. At this moment, a seven-foot-tall man was kneeling at the base of the mountain, his head pressed against the ground.
His armor was crumbling and stained with black blood in many places. These were dreadful and gruesome wounds, evidence of perilous combat.
This man had appeared here a month ago, and no matter the weather, he had remained kneeling here, like the most pious and humble of believers. One would find it very hard to believe that this filthy man in shabby armor was the illustrious and mighty Imperial Great General of Ü-Tsang, Dusong Mangpoje.
After some time, a voice came from above. “Milord, you should leave. The Venerable Holiness will not agree to your request. For millennia, the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple has not once involved itself in secular wars, and it will not do so now.”
A bald monk, barefoot and wearing a simple robe, descended, his palms clasped and held up. Someone of Dusong Mangpoje’s cultivation level had been incapable of hearing his footsteps. This monk’s eyes were gentle and calm like the bottom of a deep lake. They could wash away all the distracting thoughts within one’s mind.
“This time is different. This is not a secular war. The ones who defeated me were experts from the sects of the Central Plains. Only the people of the Holy Temple can deal with them. I hope that Venerable Sir can tell this to the Venerable Holiness so that he might lend me some assistance,” Dusong Mangpoje said subserviently, pressing his hands against the ground.
“Oh?”
The placid lakes within the monk’s eyes rippled for a moment, but he quickly regained his calm.
“It is pointless. His Venerable Holiness will not recklessly make an exception. Milord, please return! No matter how long you kneel here, it will be useless.”
The bald monk turned back around and began to slowly walk back to the summit. In a few moments, he had vanished.
The kneeling Dusong Mangpoje found it hard to conceal the disappointment in his eyes, but even so, he had no intention of leaving. He seemed intent on kneeling until his body turned to stone.
Time slowly passed, the sun rising and the moon sinking, a cycle that repeated itself for many days, until finally, he heard another set of footsteps.
“Venerable Sir, do not try and persuade me. I will not leave,” Dusong Mangpoje said without even raising his head.
“I’m not any sort of monk, but I truly did come to persuade you to leave.”
A vigorous and energetic voice rang out in Dusong Mangpoje’s ears, causing him to raise his head in shock. He was greeted by the sight of an Imperial Great General wearing armor the color of fire, with a long saber sheathed on his waist, standing before him like a god.
Powerful ripples of energy rose from his body like a storm, exerting a stifling pressure.
“Huoshu Huicang?!”
Dusong Mangpoje was stunned. He had never imagined that the Great General of the Ngari Royal Lineage would appear here.
“It’s useless. The Holy Temple will not do anything. If you plan to kneel until His Venerable Holiness shows himself, then I can be of no help to you. But if you want to deal with that Wang Chong of the Great Tang, I might know of a method that could be of assistance.”
Huoshu Huicang looked at Dusong Mangpoje and added, “Oh, that’s right, I forgot to tell you. That Young Marquis of Wushang has already been promoted to Qixi Protector-General, replacing Fumeng Lingcha.”
“What?!”
Dusong Mangpoje shuddered, his face frozen in stupefaction.
“Do you understand now? With just five thousand people, he could already defeat you and Dayan Mangban. You can imagine what it means for our Ü-Tsang Empire now that he’s Qixi Protector-General. Based on what I’ve learned, he’s still building forts around the triangular gap. In the future, we will not only lose any control over Qixi and the Western Regions and the ability to enter the Great Tang, we’ll even have our own territory invaded,” Huoshu Huicang lightly said.
Dusong Mangpoje had come here more than a month ago, so he had no idea what was happening in the outside world, but Huoshu Huicang had come amply prepared.
“You can continue to kneel here, or you can leave with me and go to meet someone, and then we can go together to deal with that Young Marquis of the Great Tang! Trust in me. At present, only that person can help us deal with Wang Chong,” Huoshu Huicang said.
“Who?”
“You’ll know when the time comes.”
Dusong Mangpoje said nothing, only raised his eyes to that imposing mountain range. Following his gaze, one saw that halfway up this grandiose mountain of snow were the ancient yellow outer walls of many temples, loosely arranged, arrayed across the mountainside like a belt that slowly traveled up to the snowcapped summit.
And at the very top of the mountain range, above all the other temples, was a small red temple. Although it was as tiny as a sesame seed from this distance, it exuded a boundless and ancient aura. It seemed like the center of the universe, coldly looking down upon the world with a divine and transcendent gaze.
That was the oldest and holiest place of the entire plateau, the true Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple!
“Haaah…”
Dusong Mangpoje sighed and finally stood back up. Perhaps it was as that great monk had said. The holy land had always remained above the world and did not interfere in secular affairs. No matter how long he kneeled here, the holy land would never act. In comparison to that infinitesimal hope that the holy land would do anything, the prospects of Great General Huoshu Huicang were more realistic.
“Let’s go!”
Dusong Mangpoje raised his head and turned to Huoshu Huicang. At that moment, a rare smile appeared on Huoshu Huicang’s face.
“You will not regret this!”
Turning around, the two walked off, shoulder to shoulder. But just when they were about to leave, about to pass an ancient tree that had lived more than one thousand years, a cold and lofty voice rang out behind them.
“Great General!”
It rumbled like thunder.
“His Venerable Holiness asked me to give this to you.”
Hwoom! The pair turned around, flabbergasted, and saw that a little black dot was rapidly expanding before their eyes as it was thrown down from the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple on high. Thud! It landed nearby. Now that they could see it clearly, they recognized it as a wooden box, around one foot long, wrapped in a yellow-brown cloth that flapped in the wind.
“The holy land will not act, nor will it kill, and His Venerable Holiness will not leave the Holy Temple for your sake. But this does not mean the holy land cannot help you. This box contains a ritual tool of the Holy Temple. When you cast it out, it will imprison any opponent, no matter how strong, making them incapable of moving. Take it! It should be of help to you!”
The voice endlessly echoed through the mountains.
Even Huoshu Huicang was pleasantly surprised at this development, much less Dusong Mangpoje. They had only ever heard about the ritual tools of the Holy Temple, never seen any for themselves. Not even in Huoshu Huicang’s many visits to the Holy Temple and his long periods of cultivation there had he ever set eyes on one. He hadn’t expected that Dusong Mangpoje’s more than one month of kneeling had moved the Holy Temple to grant this ritual tool.
“My deepest gratitude to His Venerable Holiness!”
Dusong Mangpoje was exuberant.
Taking the box, the two quickly left.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 839 - Adjustment of Strategies!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C839 - Adjustment of Strategies!
Chapter 839: Adjustment of Strategies!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
When Dusong Mangpoje and Huoshu Huicang were leaving the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple, in the distant City of Steel in Wushang, another scene was taking place.
Once the news that Wang Chong had been promoted to Qixi Protector-General began to spread, the entire City of Steel turned jubilant. What could be more exciting than one’s lord being promoted to Protector-General, ranking amongst the highest and most authoritative figures of the empire? Reaching such a lofty post in just a year was like the morning sun breaking over the horizon at dawn. One would follow such a lord without hesitation, as the prospects were guaranteed to be limitless!
Everyone seemed to have been given a shot in the arm, frenziedly practicing and training so that they could increase their strength. The entire City of Steel was filled with a proactive and energetic atmosphere.
But in Wang Chong’s residence, an entirely different mood dominated. All the tables, chairs, and stools that had once filled this spacious room had been moved, and a massive model of the Western Regions now occupied the center of the room. The topography and the kingdoms of the Western Regions were all realized in startling detail, and the Anxi Protectorate, the Tibetan Plateau, the Turkic steppe, Qixi, and Wushang seemed to mirror their real-life counterparts.
Wang Chong had not disregarded the Western Regions while dealing with the Ü-Tsang Empire and the Western Turkic Khaganate, dispatching many scouts to gather information on the military situation and geography of the regions. Several hundred of the best scouts had still needed several months to produce the information that was finally condensed into this strategic model of the Western Regions.
“…On the Ü-Tsang Empire’s side, I’ve already killed Dayan Mangban and wounded Dusong Mangpoje, and the White Braves essentially don’t exist anymore. In addition to that, they lost almost one hundred thousand elites. Coupled with the plague I spread through the southwest, the Ü-Tsang Empire should be badly wounded. It won’t have the strength to threaten us in the short term.
“As for the Western Turkic Khaganate, the one who had attacked us the most and was the leader of the war faction was the Black Wolf Yabgu, Agudu Lan. He died in front of Qixi Armory along with four thousand of his best elites. With these people dead, the greatest threats to us have been eliminated, and the Western Turkic Khaganate will find it very difficult to produce another person as formidable and difficult to deal with as Agudu Lan. With these two important individuals dead, Qixi is essentially safe and unthreatened.”
Wang Chong explained all this as he pointed at Ü-Tsang and the Western Turkic Khaganate on the model. All the commanders of the City of Steel had gathered around him: Li Siye, Huang Botian, Xu Qiqin, Xu Keyi, Cheng Sanyuan, Su Shixuan, Chen Bin… even Zhang Shouzhi was present. Everyone was listening with rapt attention to Wang Chong.
“Then, Milord, what should our next objective be?” Xu Keyi suddenly asked. “Should we invade Ü-Tsang and the Turkic steppe, launching an assault that will make them lose any ability to attack the Great Tang?”
The eyes of everyone in the room brightened at Xu Keyi’s suggestion. Of all the Protector-Generals and Great Generals of the empire, there was probably no one more proactive than Wang Chong. All of the renowned generals of the Great Tang, even the likes of Geshu Han, An Sishun, Zhang Shougui, and Fumeng Lingcha, had essentially adopted a policy of passive defense, with the occasional offense. Rarely was there someone like Wang Chong who penetrated deep into enemy territory to battle on foreign soil, even establishing a fortress to serve as a permanent base. These fortresses would serve as a fish bone in the throat, a dagger at the back, leaving enemies extremely uncomfortable.
In this aspect, not even Gao Xianzhi could compare to Wang Chong!
“Ü-Tsang and the Turks will have to be dealt with eventually, but they aren’t where the greatest threat is coming from. That comes from elsewhere!”
Wang Chong drew back his finger and scanned the room.
“Ah?!”
The gathered officers were astonished by these words, glancing at each other in dismay. The greatest threats around Wushang and Qixi were none other than the Tibetans and the Turks. None of them could think of any other empire that could pose a greater threat.
At the very edge of the crowd, Chen Bin had an idea and hesitantly voiced it. “Is Milord referring to those Hu in the Qixi Protectorate?”
“Of course not. They’re not even worthy of that.”
Wang Chong grinned and didn’t keep them in suspense. Taking a small red flag, he swept his arm past Wushang, Qixi, Anxi, and the Cong Mountains, finally placing the flag at the very western edge, near the sea.
“Our true enemy is right! Here!”
“The Arabian Empire?! How could it be them? Aren’t they just a tiny country? What sort of threat could they pose?”
“That’s right! They might not even be able to contend against Mengshe Zhao. How could they be even stronger than Ü-Tsang? And aren’t Gao Xianzhi and the Anxi Protectorate army in the west? With them there, what country could threaten us?”
“Lord Marquis, might you have picked the wrong spot? I’ve met Arabs in the capital. All of them are round and fat, and they give such big smiles that their eyes scrunch up. Even if they come in hundreds of thousands, we could easily defeat people like that. How could they possibly threaten us?”
The people in the room were flabbergasted at the place Wang Chong had stuck the red flag. No one had imagined that the threat Wang Chong spoke of would be this extremely faraway land. Many of them suspected that Wang Chong had put the flag in the wrong place.
Wang Chong said nothing to these gasps of surprise, only faintly smiled. When he first began to build this city in Wushang, everyone believed that his goal was to build a commercial city through which he could make a fortune, or else they believed that he wanted to use this city as a base to push back the Tibetans and Turks. However, Wang Chong’s goal had never been the Ü-Tsang Empire, and certainly not the Western Turkic Khaganate. At this stage, there was no longer any need to hide his aim.
From start to finish, he had had only one enemy and adversary: that massive empire west of the Cong Mountains.
Arabia!
On this continent, this was the only power that could stand on the same level as the Great Tang, and it was a formidable existence that was still in the middle of aggressive expansion.
Everyone believed that the Arabian Empire was currently a small country around the size of Goguryeo or Mengshe Zhao, but Wang Chong knew that the true Arabia controlled a territory even larger than the Great Tang, with a larger population as well. In addition, it commanded the allegiance of many small kingdoms and countless generals. In addition, while the Great Tang had indulged in peace and prosperity, the Arabian Empire was one that worshiped strength and battle. Their history was one of constant expansion and war.
The Great Tang just had too little understanding of countries beyond the Central Plains. A fox would die facing its den, and the people of the Central Plains had a penchant for thinking fondly of their homeland, unwilling to even glance at the outside world. Xu Keyi, Cheng Sanyuan, and the others had been with Wang Chong for a very long time, but even they regarded the Arabs with scorn and contempt, so one could easily imagine what others thought.
While everyone else was focused on Ü-Tsang and the Eastern and Western Turks, they were blissfully unaware that this ‘tiny country’ was already beginning to train troops and gather supplies for a campaign against the Great Tang! And if they succeeded, the fate of the Central Plains would be completely altered, and this massive empire would fall into endless civil strife and discord.
Wang Chong could not accept this.
What Wang Chong wanted to do was give this massive empire of the west a savage blow the moment it stretched out its claws, let it understand the strength of the empire of the east.
Wang Chong continued to survey the crowd as he lightly ordered, “Zhang Que, bring out the information Yang Hongchang gathered for everyone to see.”
“Yes, Lord Marquis.”
A young voice came from behind Wang Chong, and Zhang Que quickly strode forward with a thick stack of documents which he began to pass around. Still puzzled, the officers all subconsciously took the documents.
“Open it up and take a look,” Wang Chong indifferently said, making no effort to explain.
Confused, they opened the documents, and at first glance, their pupils immediately constricted, their chattering instantly fading away. And as time passed, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy.
“Arabia? How could this be? Their territory is large enough to be on par with the Great Tang!”
“A population of tens of millions? How could that be? Weren’t they just a small kingdom? And they have so many soldiers!”
“How can this be? How could there be such a large country west of the Cong Mountains?”
“Too powerful! They’ve even attacked Ü-Tsang multiple times, and while their armies were smaller, they forced the most powerful Yarlung Royal Lineage of the Ü-Tsang Empire back like a turtle retracting into its shell.”
All the officers were left dazed and dumbfounded by this information. The Arabia presented in these documents was completely different from the Arabia they knew, and they could hardly believe their eyes. At this moment, they understood why Wang Chong had said that the Arabian Empire was the largest threat to the Great Tang.
“What you’re seeing now is the roughest of information. The true strength of Arabia is even greater than what’s on the record.”
Wang Chong’s indifferent words silenced the room once more, and everyone turned to look at him.
“Zhang Que, it’s your turn to speak.”
Wang Chong glanced at Zhang Que.
“Yes, Lord Marquis.”
Zhang Que bowed and quickly turned to face the crowd.
“This information was initially gathered from a great clan that Lord Marquis is working with in the Western Regions. This clan has done business with Arabia for many years and has some understanding of that place. However, Arabs are very cautious of outsiders, and it’s very difficult for us to comprehensively gather information. The information before you was already very difficult to obtain, and several scouts died for it. The true Arabian Empire can only be stronger, not weaker.
“In addition, not too long ago, I received an order to join a Hu caravan to Arabia, but before I could get very far, when I released Little Sha, I was discovered by the Arabs. The birds their military breeds are extremely formidable, and even Little Sha was injured. They also dispatched cavalry to pursue me, so I was forced to withdraw.”
As Zhang Que spoke, he raised his arm to show the rock eagle perched on it to the crowd. This rock eagle had wounds on its head, legs, and body. Claws as sharp as swords had struck deep, and in some places, it was even possible to see the bone.
Hiss!
Everyone couldn’t help but gasp. They all knew just how formidable this rock eagle was. There were almost no birds in Qixi, perhaps in all of the Western Regions, that could contend against this rock eagle, and even those birds trained by the Tibetans and Turks had to retreat in panic before its claws. It fully deserved its title as king of eagles.
But even Zhang Que’s rock eagle had been heavily wounded. Their concepts of the world were being completely overturned.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 840 - Sword Pointed at Arabia!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C840 - Sword Pointed at Arabia!
Chapter 840: Sword Pointed at Arabia!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Are the Arabs really this formidable?” Cheng Sanyuan muttered in shock.
“Arabia is even stronger than all of you can imagine!”
Wang Chong finally spoke.
“In a part of Arabia near Anxi, there is a place called Samarkand. Two hundred thousand Arabian soldiers have assembled there, all of them the most formidable cavalry. All of you have seen the Tibetan and Turkic warhorses. The Arabian warhorses are even taller, more muscular, and have an even greater charge. Not only that, although you’ve seen the Arab merchants, the majority of them plump and useless in battle, the true Arabs are natural warriors, honed by their environment to be tall and sturdy. Thus, once a war begins, the Arabs can summon its people to form an army without even needing to train them, immediately expanding their army to more than four hundred thousand, each of the soldiers on par with a regular soldier. And this is only the army the Arabs have stationed on their eastern border. If they need to undergo a full mobilization, the Arabs could probably command an army of nigh unimaginable size.”
The entire room was quiet, everyone listening in shock to Wang Chong’s words. This was their first time getting to truly know the Arabian Empire, and all of them felt an intense danger.
“…But that statement at the start was right. At the very beginning, the Arabian Empire was just a tiny country, even smaller than Goguryeo. They were only able to develop to such a massive scale, growing even larger than the Great Tang, because they spent many years training their soldiers for war and battling surrounding countries. All of you fought with Dayan Mangban’s White Braves and know how powerful they were. The Arabs have their Mamelukes1, a force even stronger than the White Braves of Ü-Tsang. In Arabia, all the Mamelukes start training at the age of seven or eight. From the very beginning, they are made to fight amongst themselves, with only the fiercest and most savage of the children being able to survive. As these children grow, they receive the harshest military training, maturing through actual battle and blood until they become true Mamelukes. At that time, each of them will have become the most lethal weapon, imbued with rich experience in killing and battle.”
Wang Chong’s voiced echoed through the room, acting as a sort of baptism to everyone within. This was Wang Chong’s goal. If even his closest subordinates did not recognize the strength of the Arabs, there would be no need to talk about defeating them. Change happened drop by drop. The Great Tang could no longer remain entranced by the Central Plains and its periphery. It needed to raise its head and see the true face of the world.
This change would happen from the people nearest to his side.
In the future, if every Tang could relinquish their obsession with their homeland and open their eyes to see the world as it really was, a whole new Great Tang would be formed.
“Lord Marquis, if every Arab is as formidable as you say, how can we fight against them? Can we still defeat them?” Cheng Sanyuan suddenly spoke, his shocked gaze on Wang Chong. The words spoken today had completely altered his impressions of that distant country.
“Cheng Sanyuan, I’ve never met a true Arab warrior, nor do I know what you mean by defeating them, but I can tell you that the Great Tang did not reach its current status through luck!” Li Siye suddenly said, his expression grim and each of his words seeming to thump against the floor. “Goguryeo, Mengshe Zhao, Ü-Tsang, the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates, and the kingdoms of the Western Regions—all of these countries added together do not dare to recklessly make war against the Great Tang. Only the Great Tang is capable of relying on its solitary strength to suppress these surrounding countries and make them lower their heads. Arabia might be very strong, but the Great Tang is definitely not weak! If Arabia dares to covet the Central Plains, it will come to learn of the true strength of the Great Tang, a lesson it will never forget!”
“That’s right!”
Wang Chong gave a knowing smile upon hearing Li Siye’s words.
“Arabia truly is very strong, but our Great Tang definitely isn’t weak. The Arabian cavalry is very formidable, but their crossbow bolts and other equipment can’t compare to ours. Our Great Tang’s ballistae are unrivalled throughout the world. No matter what sort of cavalry or how thick their armor, none of them can stop the piercing power of a ballista bolt. Moreover, in terms of infantry formations as well as strategy and tactics, Arabia is far inferior to the Great Tang. They have no such thing as formations, only simple arrangements of soldiers, and they certainly have no idea of strategy and tactics.”
Wang Chong was not at all boasting. The strategy texts of the Central Plains were developed over a long history of frequent and large-scale conflicts. This was something the Arabs lacked.
Everyone nodded their heads, motivated by Wang Chong’s words. Yes, Arabia might be a massive alligator, yet the Great Tang was no sheep, but a mighty lion. Who was stronger and who was weaker could only be found out through battle.
“Lord Marquis, what do you need us to do?!”
“No matter what it is, as long as we can be of aid to the Great Tang in opposing the Arabs, we would even walk through seas of fire and mountains of blades!”
“That’s right! Those who offend my Great Tang will all be punished, no matter how far away they are! Lord Marquis, give us your orders!”
The officers began to excitedly sound off. Against foreign foes, all of them were of one mind. Whether or not they wanted to admit it, their honor and duty as people of the Great Tang had bored into their bones. Wang Chong mentally nodded at this sight, greatly relieved. Regardless of what it was like elsewhere, as long as the people at his side shared his vision, their wills could form an impregnable stronghold that allowed Wang Chong to complete any task he set out to do with confidence.
“A mountain cannot hold two tigers! The Arabs are pugnacious people who are bound to clash with the Great Tang one day. Although I can’t be sure of the actual time of this war, we can start preparing for it now. Xu Keyi!”
Wang Chong turned his head to his right.
“Your subordinate is here!”
Xu Keyi hurriedly lowered his head and bowed.
“Starting from now, I need you to put your focus elsewhere. Your mission will be to select as many elite scouts from the army as possible, teach them Arabic, and then dispatch them to the Arabian Empire. In addition, the Arabs are very xenophobic, so you can’t choose Han, only Hu, or else hire merchants from the Western Regions. I need you to use these people to gather as much information on the Arabian Empire as you can,” Wang Chong said.
“Your subordinate understands!” Xu Keyi immediately answered.
“Chen Bin!”
“Your subordinate is here!”
Chen Bin stepped forward.
“The recipe for the cement road has already reached a mature state. I need you to get in touch with Zhao Jingdian in the capital and mobilize the power of the great clans to build a cement road from Wushang to the Anxi Protectorate as quickly as possible. In addition, inform Zhao Jingdian that I also need the cement road from the capital to Wushang finished soon as well,” Wang Chong sternly said.
“Yes!”
Chen Bin bowed.
“Su Shixuan!”
“Your subordinate is here!”
Su Shixuan hurriedly stepped forward.
“Use my status as Qixi Protector-General and Lord of Wushang to write a memorial to the court requesting reinforcements for Qixi. Say that in the last major battle, Qixi suffered many casualties. Request the court to use Wushang’s City of Steel as the transit point for the soldiers. Say that we can help relieve the Imperial Court’s logistical burden,” Wang Chong ordered, a fearsome look on his face.
He had put a great deal of thought into this problem and had determined that if he wanted to reinforce the Anxi Protectorate army, just Qixi alone would not enough. He would need soldiers from the Imperial Court, transferred from other regions. If the City of Steel could be used as a reservoir of manpower, he could greatly increase the soldiers available to him. Besides that, the Imperial Court would be happy to offload the logistical burden to another party.
“Yes! Your subordinate understands!”
Su Shixuan bowed.
“In addition, write a letter to the capital requesting Yuan Shusong to come over.”
“Yes!”
Wang Chong issued order after order, and each person soon had their own task. The full strength and resources of the City of Steel were slowly beginning to mobilize, all of them aimed at Talas and the even farther Arabian Empire. While Yang Hongchang had been the sole gatherer of information in Talas at first, he was now joined in this effort by many scouts and soldiers, and Wang Chong’s intelligence-gathering abilities in these regions soared.
“That’s right, where’s Hulayeg?”
When everything had been delegated, Wang Chong suddenly remembered Hulayeg.
In the past, Hulayeg would follow him everywhere like a fawning sycophant, but his presence had been missed as of late.
“Haha, didn’t you leave the Turkic Fourth Prince to him? He’s currently fully devoted himself to that endeavor. Right now, to carry out this task, he’s already moved himself from the residence you prepared for him to the City of Steel’s underground prison.”
Xu Qiqin slowly and lightly walked over, a smile on her lips and her face glowing with vitality. Such was the charm and allure she exuded that even Wang Chong was momentarily dazed, but he quickly regained control over his senses.
“The prison? Why did he go there?” Wang Chong said in shock. He understood Hulayeg as someone who emphasized pleasure and comfort above all. Even for his residence, he had been extremely picky, and he had even bought many tiger skins to decorate the walls and the floor. How could he be willing to live in a prison? This was completely out of line with his style.
“Just what is he up to?”
“What do you think? It’s for that Fourth Prince.”
Xu Qiqin’s smile grew even wider, and she was finding it hard to hold back her laughter.
“In order to get that Fourth Prince’s trust and change the impression the prince has of him, he surprisingly opted for the plan of injuring himself to gain the trust of the enemy. He had Xu Keyi find someone to give him a savage beating, covering him all over with bruises, and then he had himself thrown into the Fourth Prince’s cell so that they would be together. If things are going as expected, that stubborn fatty is probably grumbling and complaining together with that Fourth Prince of his.”
With these last words, Xu Qiqin’s smile finally dissolved into a fit of giggling.
______________
1. The Mamelukes appear much earlier in this universe than in actual history. While the events are set in the eighth century, with the current year being 751/752, the practice of Abbasid Caliphs buying slaves to serve as soldiers arose in the ninth century, though these were apparently called Ghilman, not Mamelukes.↩
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 841 - The Blackwater Shaman!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C841 - The Blackwater Shaman!
Chapter 841: The Blackwater Shaman!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“What?”
Wang Chong was stunned, barely able to believe his ears. Hulayeg’s actions were simply mind-blowing, and not even Wang Chong had ever imagined that he would employ this sort of strategy.
“But will this strategy really be effective?”
Hulayeg’s home had been raided by a party personally led by that Fourth Prince, and previous to the battle at Qixi Armory, this Fourth Prince had followed the Black Wolf Yabgu for a long period of time, listening to and carrying out his orders every day, so he definitely would not have a good impression of Hulayeg. In normal circumstances, it would be quite decent if he didn’t lunge at Hulayeg and bite off a piece of the traitor’s flesh. It would be almost impossible for Hulayeg to alter the prince’s impressions of him.
“Why else would he have himself injured? Xu Keyi really did beat him, making no efforts to spare him any pain. And while Hulayeg was lying on the ground, his face pale from the pain and his forehead caked with sweat, he was still insisting that Xu Keyi should beat him a little harder. I have to admit that this Turkic horse merchant has some ability. The Turkic Fourth Prince has been imprisoned together with him for a few days, listening every day to him harp on about how he’s just a simple merchant who, for the sake of saving him, ended up getting savagely beaten. And that Fourth Prince actually believed him,” Xu Qiqin said, her hands covering the smile on her mouth.
“Oh? If that really is the case, then this fellow is truly astounding! It seems like he’s putting everything on the line to get back to the Turkic steppe.”
Wang Chong was gradually infected by Xu Qiqin’s melodious laughter, a smile slowly appearing in his eyes.
“Forget it. I’ll just let him continue doing what he wants!”
……
Meanwhile, on the distant Mount Sanmi, from the tent of the Western Turkic Khagan came a furious bellow that echoed through the heavens.
“What? They’ve refused us again! Proposing such impossible conditions, do they really think we Western Turks will agree?”
Within the massive golden tent, Ishbara Khagan was pacing back and forth like an enraged lion, all of Mount Sanmi trembling at his roars.
“Khagan, we’ve already asked to negotiate three times, but they’ve stubbornly insisted on five hundred thousand of the best Turkic warhorses and nothing else. They’ve even said that if we don’t agree, they’ll send the Fourth Prince’s corpse to Mount Sanmi.”
A scout was kneeling in the tent, trembling in fear, his head almost buried in the ground. He didn’t even dare to risk a glance upward.
“Bastard! Then let them send the Fourth Prince’s corpse! Tell them that five hundred thousand of the best Turkic warhorses is simply out of the question!”
Ishbara Khagan was fuming with rage, his incensed voice like peals of thunder over the skies of Mount Sanmi. Everyone who heard it shivered, their hearts thumping in fear. The kneeling scout pressed himself even lower against the ground, not daring to utter a word.
“Why haven’t you gone!”
Ishbara Khagan viciously glared.
“Yes!”
The scout shuddered and immediately got up and left. But he had only reached the entrance of the tent when, boom! Black energy suddenly rushed in, and a black curtain suddenly dropped down from the skies, shrouding the entire tent. The scout was so caught off guard that he thumped against this black barrier of energy and almost ended up falling to the ground.
“Paying respects to the Venerable Priest!”
Despite the suddenness of it all, the scout not only immediately got back up, but flung himself back on the ground in prostration, his head pressing against the ground in panic. Even the enraged Ishbara Khagan took in a deep breath when he saw the black curtain descend, his anger cooling.
The entire tent fell quiet.
Ishbara Khagan glanced outside and suddenly called out, “Blackwater Shaman!”
“Khagan, quell your anger. The decisions regarding the Fourth Prince must be made after long consideration and cannot be guided by emotion.”
Light and shadow began to twist and flicker at the entrance, and as an old and hoarse voice spoke, a hunched figure only around five feet tall walked in. He wore a black robe that reached the ground and gripped a black bone cane topped by a skull. With this black-robed man as the center, the shadows in the tent began to shift, forming countless savage beasts that seemed to surge out of the man.
In addition to that, a strange odor began to fill the golden tent, pungent to the extreme. It seemed like the scent of a bear, and also like that of a leopard or tiger. In brief, it was like a throng of beasts had entered the tent.
Only very special existences in the Western Turkic Khaganate could give off this sort of feeling and enter Ishbara Khagan’s tent whenever they pleased: the shaman priests.
No one knew the origin of the shaman priests, only that when the Turkic people first emerged, the shaman priests already had a long history on the Turkic steppe and possessed an extremely revered status. The legends said that the shaman priests could communicate with all animals and even with the gods above. They knew the past and could see into the future. Their bodies were shrouded in mystifying fogs that concealed infinite secrets.
Besides that, all shaman priests wielded an enigmatic and inexplicable strength. This strength was not a martial art, but it was even more terrifying and mysterious. The people of the steppe called it sorcery.
The famous legend regarding the shaman priests originated more than one thousand years ago, when the Central Plains was governed by that most formidable Emperor Wu of Han. Cavalry from the Central Plains swept over the desert and steppe, time and time again pushing back the elite Turkic cavalry. In that age, the Turkic steppe was covered with corpses and irrigated by blood. In the most prosperous and most powerful period of the Turkic empire, it encountered the toughest sovereign of the Central Plains in a thousand years. After repeated wars, the Turkic empire rapidly waned to become unimaginably weak.
Such an event was unprecedented on the steppe.
And when that Emperor Wu of Han was ready to send one last expedition to the north to finally exterminate the threat of the Turks once and for all, everyone on the steppe was trembling in fear at the coming calamity. It was at that moment that the strongest shaman priest led the several hundred shaman priests of the steppe to cast a sorcery on a road the army of the Central Plains needed to take to reach the steppe. The shaman priests clashed with the arts practitioners of the Central Plains and inflicted grievous casualties and vile diseases on this most powerful army.
Although the shaman priests also suffered terrible losses, with only a tiny number surviving, they succeeded in breaking this supreme cavalry army and saving the Turkic people from disaster. Afterwards, all the Turkic Khagans treated the shaman priests with great respect, with the most respected being the shamans that sprung from the branch of the shaman leader.
The Blackwater Shaman was precisely a member of this illustrious branch!
“Although five hundred thousand warhorses are precious, the worth of the Fourth Prince truly is comparable. He is tied to the destiny and future of our Western Turkic Khaganate. You know this, Khagan. You have seen the prophecies.”
The Blackwater Shaman slowly ambled forward, taking a step, pausing, and then taking another step…
Ishbara Khagan seemed to calm down at the word ‘prophecies’, but he quickly turned angry again. “But you can’t even find five hundred thousand of the best Turkic warhorses in the entire Western Turkic Khaganate! It’s just not a request that can be fulfilled!”
The Turks were people that lived on horseback, and so what they had the most of was naturally horses. But those horses were differentiated by quality. They had as many ordinary warhorses as one could want, several million warhorses of good quality, but five hundred thousand of the best and rarest quality of warhorse? The entire Western Turkic Khaganate probably didn’t have that many, and would they really give them to a Han? Would this not be supporting the enemy?
After all, the Western Turkic Khaganate and the Great Tang Empire were still enemies at war. He could not agree to this condition.
“Five hundred thousand of the best Turkic warhorses is naturally impossible, but we cannot not negotiate with the City of Steel, and we cannot not save the Fourth Prince. Those five hundred thousand warhorses are just a negotiation trick to get the best price from us. If they didn’t want to negotiate, the Fourth Prince would already be dead, and they would not have wasted so much time refusing Khagan’s entreaties. For the future of the Western Turkic Khaganate, Khagan, you must be calm.”
The Blackwater Shaman continued to speak as he slowly moved forward. A roiling black fog covered his face, serving as a veil that concealed his true appearance.
Ishbara Khagan’s face froze, and he was instantly speechless.
Ishbara Khagan did not dote on the Fourth Prince for no reason. A terrible danger threatened the steppe, one that was more frightening and dreadful than any other peril in history, and the first to experience this dread had been the shaman priests of the steppe. They could hear the voices of the gods and knew the mysteries of past and future. This power had been proved countless times already.
The steppe would one day be destroyed, and this day was not very far in the future!
This was a prophecy Ishbara Khagan had heard when he was just a child.
Very few people on the entire steppe knew this secret, and Ishbara Khagan only knew of it because he was a member of the imperial clan. From that moment onward, he had been plagued by a deep concern, until the day the Fourth Prince was born. ‘This child is the hope of the entire Turkic steppe.’ ‘His existence is tied to the future of all peoples.’ ‘When the moment comes, he will awaken to his mission and lead the Turkic people in escaping that dreadful disaster.’ The shaman priests’ predictions regarding that child were deeply branded in Ishbara Khagan’s mind.
It was these predictions that made him so deeply cherish the Fourth Prince. Based on what the shaman priests had said, his worth was immeasurable.
“Must I truly be threatened by a teenager who is still wet behind the ears?”
Ishbara Khagan groaned, his heart filled with unwillingness. The resplendent sovereign of the steppe, Ishbara Khagan’s name echoed throughout all the countries of the world, and even the Protector-Generals and Great Generals of the Central Plains had to treat him cautiously. But now, some teenager in that City of Steel was demanding an absurd ransom from him and issuing brazen threats. How could someone of Ishbara Khagan’s status accept this?
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 842 - Lowly, Lowly Hulayeg!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C842 - Lowly, Lowly Hulayeg!
Chapter 842: Lowly, Lowly Hulayeg!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Khagan, hold on for a little longer. Say that we’ll give them one hundred thousand warhorses and see if they agree. If they persist with the demand for five hundred thousand, then we will discuss this again,” the Blackwater Shaman said.
“Priest, I will do this for you, but this will be the last time!”
Ishbara Khagan was boiling with rage, but he could only clamp it down.
“Mm. Let us dispatch the emissary. If they truly won’t let go, Khagan will still have time to adopt another plan.”
The Blackwater Shaman nodded.
Ishbara Khagan angrily huffed, but he said nothing more.
“In addition, I have a request that I hope Khagan can fulfill,” the Blackwater Shaman continued.
“Oh? And what is that?” Ishbara Khagan said in surprise. He had originally believed that the Blackwater Shaman had appeared only to discuss the matter of the Fourth Prince, but it now appeared that this was not the case.
“That youth in Wushang’s City of Steel who captured the Fourth Prince—I would like to meet him… When Khagan dispatches the emissaries this time, I would like one of my attendants to accompany the mission.”
These last words were spoken in a mysterious and profound tone.
Ishbara Khagan’s body shivered as if suddenly understanding something. He stared at the nearby Blackwater Shaman, unable to conceal the shock on his face.
……
“Ayow! It really hurts!”
In the underground prison cell of the City of Steel, Hulayeg’s cries of pain echoed across the walls. He was lying on the ground, his bare and plump back gruesomely lacerated, and in some places, one could even see bone.
“Hulayeg, I was wrong about you. I didn’t think that they would beat you like this. Relax. If I can get back, I will return all your property to you.”
A remorseful voice echoed within the room. The Turkic Fourth Prince was sitting next to Hulayeg, his eyes brimming with reluctance as he examined the numerous wounds.
“Your Highness, there’s no need to blame yourself. It is my honor to be of service. I don’t believe that these bastards of the City of Steel would be so treacherous as to actually dare to kill me. Your Highness, be at ease. Even if this Hulayeg must put his life on the line, he will definitely get you out of here.”
Hulayeg clenched his teeth and squeezed out these words, but then the pain from his wounds came surging back, and he couldn’t help but yelp.
The Fourth Prince felt even more remorseful at this sight.
“Wang Chong, you and your despicable and faithless subordinates, I won’t let you go for this! Fourth Prince! If any of them dare to touch a hair on your head, I, Hulayeg, will never let them go, even if I have to come back as a ghost!”
Hulayeg bellowed and cursed.
“Hulayeg, don’t be like this. They really might beat you to death.” The Fourth Prince was both moved and reluctant. “Just look at the wounds on your body. You can’t take any more beatings. If they come and find you again, endure it and lower your head, admit that you were wrong. If you’re able to leave, you can find my imperial father and have him come save me. That would be much better than the both of us dying here.”
The Fourth Prince had no idea that in a certain place outside the cell, a group of people were on the verge of breaking into laughter.
“But the Khagan will not believe me,” Hulayeg said.
“It’s fine. Take this and he’ll believe you.”
The Fourth Prince paused a moment before clenching his teeth and finally removing a black token carved from bone from the hiding place in his clothes.
“This is my princely token. As long as you take this token to see my imperial father, he’ll definitely believe you.”
“This… Your Highness, rest at ease. If I have a chance to leave, I will definitely save you. This Hulayeg’s word is his bond. Even if I must die, I will ensure Your Highness’s safety.”
Hulayeg appeared to undergo a mental struggle before finally gritting his teeth and taking the token.
Clangclangclang!
At this moment, a metal clattering could be heard outside the cell.
“Hulayeg, you Turkic pig who doesn’t know good from bad, Lord Marquis, in his kindness, has chosen to release you, but you insist on sticking together with this Fourth Prince. This is your last chance. If you continue to act rudely before Lord Marquis, you and this Fourth Prince will die together in this place!”
An icy voice came from outside as the door to the cell was opened. Several fully-armored guards stalked in. After giving a single glance, they immediately picked up Hulayeg, two to a side, and carried him away like he was a slaughtered pig. Behind them, the door banged shut once more.
“Hulayeg, don’t worry about me. Quickly admit your wrongs. First take care of yourself. Don’t make enemies of them anymore…”
In the distance, the Turkic Fourth Prince had crawled up to the cell door and was worriedly shouting.
“Hahaha…”
“Hulayeg, you’re quite the performer. Look at that—the Fourth Prince is even crying.”
“‘Don’t worry about me, quickly admit your wrongs’, hahaha… did all of you see what that Fourth Prince looked like while saying that?”
“Hulayeg, you bastard, if that Fourth Prince knew the truth, he would probably flog off your flesh and eat you alive.”
Once they left the hearing range of the Fourth Prince’s cell, the soldiers couldn’t help but break into laughter. All of these guards were very familiar with Hulayeg, accompanying him as he entered and exited, and they were not afraid to crack a few jokes.
“Heheh, this isn’t anything. A person with small limits is no gentleman, and a man without a little viciousness in their blood can never be great. Isn’t that a saying of you Han? As long as I can regain my property, what does a minor matter like this count as? And once this Fourth Prince returns, I will rise to glorious heights and invite you all to a feast, and then what will today’s events count as?”
Hulayeg took a silk robe from a guard and put it on as he carelessly replied.
“Hulayeg, you truly are a shameless and lowly man,” the guards all teased.
“Thank you for your praise.”
Hulayeg chuckled.
“Oh, by the way, where is Lord Marquis?”
“Still in his residence. Do you need to see Lord Marquis?” a guard said with a smile, patting Hulayeg on the shoulder.
“There’s no need for that. Just give this letter to Lord Marquis.”
Hulayeg gave a mysterious smile as he took out a letter. This done, Hulayeg walked out of the prison alone as the flabbergasted guards looked on. He did not return to his usual residence, nor did he head toward Wang Chong’s residence. Instead, he made a circle, stopping beneath a transplanted plum blossom tree, where he mounted an excellent Turkic warhorse and rode out of the city.
Moments after he left, a scout barged into Wang Chong’s residence. “Lord Marquis, Hulayeg just mounted a horse and left the City of Steel!” The City of Steel was still not fully open to outsiders, so every person who entered and exited was closely watched.
“Oh?”
Wang Chong was sitting at a sandalwood table. When he heard this news, his brows arched in surprise.
A few moments later, a guard of the City of Steel strode in.
“Reporting! Before leaving, Hulayeg left a letter that he said should be given to Lord Marquis.”
Although surprised at the start, Wang Chong quickly began to understand.
“Bring it here!”
Wang Chong waved his hand and took the letter. Glancing through it, he immediately began to smile, a knowing look on his face.
“I understand. You’re dismissed. There’s no need for any of you to worry about this matter any longer.”
“Yes, Lord Marquis.”
The two quickly assented and left.
“Hulayeg, it’s all up to your performance now.”
Wang Chong turned to look out the window, a smirk on his lips. But in the blink of an eye, the smile was gone, and Wang Chong quickly took up an intelligence report. This report did not concern Talas, but Qixi.
……
Gallop!
A warhorse kicked up a long trail of dust over the vast Turkic steppe. A slightly plump figure riding a Turkic warhorse had left Wushang and begun galloping to the northwest. After some time, he finally arrived before a massive mountain range, soaring into the clouds.
“I’ve finally arrived!”
As he saw the enormous Mount Sanmi and the thousands of Turkic elite cavalry and wolf packs patrolling around it, a joyful smile appeared on Hulayeg’s face. Whether he could stage a comeback and reforge his glorious life would rely on his performance here.
“Hahaha, the tent of the Khagan, I’ve come!”
Hulayeg’s eyes glowed as he urged his horse to gallop to the summit.
“Who goes there? Stop!”
“Don’t attack! I’m on your side. I have news of the Khagan’s Fourth Prince. I know how to save him! Let me in!”
Hollering and yelling the entire way, Hulayeg made his way through the defenses of Mount Sanmi, galloping all the way to the tent of Ishbara Khagan of the Western Turks.
……
“Hey!”
“Ha!”
Time slowly passed, with everything proceeding according to the plans Wang Chong had set out. Within the City of Steel, the sounds of soldiers drilling along with the thundering of hooves resounded through the air. As the first rays of the morning sun fell upon the training ground, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry were shifting through various formations, gathering and scattering with extreme proficiency, their dreadful killing intent soaring into the heavens.
“Not bad! It’s about ready!”
Looking at all this through the window, Wang Chong gave a satisfied nod. At the very start, people used to curiously surround the training ground to spectate as the Wushang Cavalry trained, but now, no one was standing around. Nobody dared to.
The Wushang Cavalry were getting stronger and stronger, growing more and more like that supreme cavalry force that had dominated the world.
“Bring out my armor!” Wang Chong suddenly said. “In addition, tell the soldiers to get ready to move out.”
“Yes! Lord Marquis!”
A guard quickly left.
A few moments later, the earth trembled as Wang Chong and Li Siye led the five thousand Wushang Cavalry through the gates and onward to Qixi. Some time had passed since the Imperial Court had issued its decree, and Wang Chong had finally finished all the preparations to deal with Qixi.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 842 - Lowly, Lowly Hulayeg!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C842 - Lowly, Lowly Hulayeg!
Chapter 842: Lowly, Lowly Hulayeg!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Khagan, hold on for a little longer. Say that we’ll give them one hundred thousand warhorses and see if they agree. If they persist with the demand for five hundred thousand, then we will discuss this again,” the Blackwater Shaman said.
“Priest, I will do this for you, but this will be the last time!”
Ishbara Khagan was boiling with rage, but he could only clamp it down.
“Mm. Let us dispatch the emissary. If they truly won’t let go, Khagan will still have time to adopt another plan.”
The Blackwater Shaman nodded.
Ishbara Khagan angrily huffed, but he said nothing more.
“In addition, I have a request that I hope Khagan can fulfill,” the Blackwater Shaman continued.
“Oh? And what is that?” Ishbara Khagan said in surprise. He had originally believed that the Blackwater Shaman had appeared only to discuss the matter of the Fourth Prince, but it now appeared that this was not the case.
“That youth in Wushang’s City of Steel who captured the Fourth Prince—I would like to meet him… When Khagan dispatches the emissaries this time, I would like one of my attendants to accompany the mission.”
These last words were spoken in a mysterious and profound tone.
Ishbara Khagan’s body shivered as if suddenly understanding something. He stared at the nearby Blackwater Shaman, unable to conceal the shock on his face.
……
“Ayow! It really hurts!”
In the underground prison cell of the City of Steel, Hulayeg’s cries of pain echoed across the walls. He was lying on the ground, his bare and plump back gruesomely lacerated, and in some places, one could even see bone.
“Hulayeg, I was wrong about you. I didn’t think that they would beat you like this. Relax. If I can get back, I will return all your property to you.”
A remorseful voice echoed within the room. The Turkic Fourth Prince was sitting next to Hulayeg, his eyes brimming with reluctance as he examined the numerous wounds.
“Your Highness, there’s no need to blame yourself. It is my honor to be of service. I don’t believe that these bastards of the City of Steel would be so treacherous as to actually dare to kill me. Your Highness, be at ease. Even if this Hulayeg must put his life on the line, he will definitely get you out of here.”
Hulayeg clenched his teeth and squeezed out these words, but then the pain from his wounds came surging back, and he couldn’t help but yelp.
The Fourth Prince felt even more remorseful at this sight.
“Wang Chong, you and your despicable and faithless subordinates, I won’t let you go for this! Fourth Prince! If any of them dare to touch a hair on your head, I, Hulayeg, will never let them go, even if I have to come back as a ghost!”
Hulayeg bellowed and cursed.
“Hulayeg, don’t be like this. They really might beat you to death.” The Fourth Prince was both moved and reluctant. “Just look at the wounds on your body. You can’t take any more beatings. If they come and find you again, endure it and lower your head, admit that you were wrong. If you’re able to leave, you can find my imperial father and have him come save me. That would be much better than the both of us dying here.”
The Fourth Prince had no idea that in a certain place outside the cell, a group of people were on the verge of breaking into laughter.
“But the Khagan will not believe me,” Hulayeg said.
“It’s fine. Take this and he’ll believe you.”
The Fourth Prince paused a moment before clenching his teeth and finally removing a black token carved from bone from the hiding place in his clothes.
“This is my princely token. As long as you take this token to see my imperial father, he’ll definitely believe you.”
“This… Your Highness, rest at ease. If I have a chance to leave, I will definitely save you. This Hulayeg’s word is his bond. Even if I must die, I will ensure Your Highness’s safety.”
Hulayeg appeared to undergo a mental struggle before finally gritting his teeth and taking the token.
Clangclangclang!
At this moment, a metal clattering could be heard outside the cell.
“Hulayeg, you Turkic pig who doesn’t know good from bad, Lord Marquis, in his kindness, has chosen to release you, but you insist on sticking together with this Fourth Prince. This is your last chance. If you continue to act rudely before Lord Marquis, you and this Fourth Prince will die together in this place!”
An icy voice came from outside as the door to the cell was opened. Several fully-armored guards stalked in. After giving a single glance, they immediately picked up Hulayeg, two to a side, and carried him away like he was a slaughtered pig. Behind them, the door banged shut once more.
“Hulayeg, don’t worry about me. Quickly admit your wrongs. First take care of yourself. Don’t make enemies of them anymore…”
In the distance, the Turkic Fourth Prince had crawled up to the cell door and was worriedly shouting.
“Hahaha…”
“Hulayeg, you’re quite the performer. Look at that—the Fourth Prince is even crying.”
“‘Don’t worry about me, quickly admit your wrongs’, hahaha… did all of you see what that Fourth Prince looked like while saying that?”
“Hulayeg, you bastard, if that Fourth Prince knew the truth, he would probably flog off your flesh and eat you alive.”
Once they left the hearing range of the Fourth Prince’s cell, the soldiers couldn’t help but break into laughter. All of these guards were very familiar with Hulayeg, accompanying him as he entered and exited, and they were not afraid to crack a few jokes.
“Heheh, this isn’t anything. A person with small limits is no gentleman, and a man without a little viciousness in their blood can never be great. Isn’t that a saying of you Han? As long as I can regain my property, what does a minor matter like this count as? And once this Fourth Prince returns, I will rise to glorious heights and invite you all to a feast, and then what will today’s events count as?”
Hulayeg took a silk robe from a guard and put it on as he carelessly replied.
“Hulayeg, you truly are a shameless and lowly man,” the guards all teased.
“Thank you for your praise.”
Hulayeg chuckled.
“Oh, by the way, where is Lord Marquis?”
“Still in his residence. Do you need to see Lord Marquis?” a guard said with a smile, patting Hulayeg on the shoulder.
“There’s no need for that. Just give this letter to Lord Marquis.”
Hulayeg gave a mysterious smile as he took out a letter. This done, Hulayeg walked out of the prison alone as the flabbergasted guards looked on. He did not return to his usual residence, nor did he head toward Wang Chong’s residence. Instead, he made a circle, stopping beneath a transplanted plum blossom tree, where he mounted an excellent Turkic warhorse and rode out of the city.
Moments after he left, a scout barged into Wang Chong’s residence. “Lord Marquis, Hulayeg just mounted a horse and left the City of Steel!” The City of Steel was still not fully open to outsiders, so every person who entered and exited was closely watched.
“Oh?”
Wang Chong was sitting at a sandalwood table. When he heard this news, his brows arched in surprise.
A few moments later, a guard of the City of Steel strode in.
“Reporting! Before leaving, Hulayeg left a letter that he said should be given to Lord Marquis.”
Although surprised at the start, Wang Chong quickly began to understand.
“Bring it here!”
Wang Chong waved his hand and took the letter. Glancing through it, he immediately began to smile, a knowing look on his face.
“I understand. You’re dismissed. There’s no need for any of you to worry about this matter any longer.”
“Yes, Lord Marquis.”
The two quickly assented and left.
“Hulayeg, it’s all up to your performance now.”
Wang Chong turned to look out the window, a smirk on his lips. But in the blink of an eye, the smile was gone, and Wang Chong quickly took up an intelligence report. This report did not concern Talas, but Qixi.
……
Gallop!
A warhorse kicked up a long trail of dust over the vast Turkic steppe. A slightly plump figure riding a Turkic warhorse had left Wushang and begun galloping to the northwest. After some time, he finally arrived before a massive mountain range, soaring into the clouds.
“I’ve finally arrived!”
As he saw the enormous Mount Sanmi and the thousands of Turkic elite cavalry and wolf packs patrolling around it, a joyful smile appeared on Hulayeg’s face. Whether he could stage a comeback and reforge his glorious life would rely on his performance here.
“Hahaha, the tent of the Khagan, I’ve come!”
Hulayeg’s eyes glowed as he urged his horse to gallop to the summit.
“Who goes there? Stop!”
“Don’t attack! I’m on your side. I have news of the Khagan’s Fourth Prince. I know how to save him! Let me in!”
Hollering and yelling the entire way, Hulayeg made his way through the defenses of Mount Sanmi, galloping all the way to the tent of Ishbara Khagan of the Western Turks.
……
“Hey!”
“Ha!”
Time slowly passed, with everything proceeding according to the plans Wang Chong had set out. Within the City of Steel, the sounds of soldiers drilling along with the thundering of hooves resounded through the air. As the first rays of the morning sun fell upon the training ground, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry were shifting through various formations, gathering and scattering with extreme proficiency, their dreadful killing intent soaring into the heavens.
“Not bad! It’s about ready!”
Looking at all this through the window, Wang Chong gave a satisfied nod. At the very start, people used to curiously surround the training ground to spectate as the Wushang Cavalry trained, but now, no one was standing around. Nobody dared to.
The Wushang Cavalry were getting stronger and stronger, growing more and more like that supreme cavalry force that had dominated the world.
“Bring out my armor!” Wang Chong suddenly said. “In addition, tell the soldiers to get ready to move out.”
“Yes! Lord Marquis!”
A guard quickly left.
A few moments later, the earth trembled as Wang Chong and Li Siye led the five thousand Wushang Cavalry through the gates and onward to Qixi. Some time had passed since the Imperial Court had issued its decree, and Wang Chong had finally finished all the preparations to deal with Qixi.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 843 - Soldiers Approach Qixi!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C843 - Soldiers Approach Qixi!
Chapter 843: Soldiers Approach Qixi!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Gallop!
As Wang Chong led his forces out of the City of Steel, a horseman watching from the distance began to ride to the Qixi Protectorate in a panic.
“It’s bad! Inform General that Wang Chong has led his army out of Wushang and is heading toward the Qixi Protectorate!” the horsemen yelled as he galloped.
Creee! An eagle soared into the sky as the Hu horseman called out, and swiftly flew to the northwest. At the end of its journey, it folded its wings and landed in the main hall of the Qixi Protectorate.
“What?! That Wang Chong is coming!”
The news brought back by the eagle was like a boulder crashing into the hall, immediately making waves in the bustling Qixi Protectorate.
“Bastard! He harmed Protector-General and he still dares to come? Does he really think that we’re afraid of him?”
“Gather all our brothers in the protectorate headquarters. I’d like to see how he deals with all of us.”
“Qixi Protector-General! Who cares if the Imperial Court decreed it? Without the nod from our brothers, he’s nothing!”
“The heavens are high and the Emperor is far away! Not even the Imperial Court dares to deal with us. I’d like to see what tricks he has. Let’s send him packing in the direction he came from!”
The hall was bursting with anger, with the news of Wang Chong’s coming seeming to have provoked a beehive, all the Hu commanders on the verge of exploding. In the blink of an eye, countless figures surged out of the hall, and a few moments later, all the Hu soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate army had been mobilized. Numbering in the thousands, they converged from all around to the Qixi Protectorate headquarters.
Creee!
Eagles shot into the air as all of Qixi was caught up in this unprecedented turmoil, the air fraught with tension.
On the road to Qixi, Zhang Que looked up and saw several black dots in the sky. “Lord Marquis, look over there! The surveillance eagles of the Qixi Protectorate army!” HIs words immediately attracted everyone else’s attention.
“Lord Marquis, should we get rid of them?”
“There’s no need.”
Wang Chong glanced upward before grinning and waving his hand.
“Let them do what they want. Give them a good look and let them prepare. We can resolve all of this with just one go.”
Wang Chong’s voice was flat and emotionless, yet it exuded a supreme confidence. The matter of Qixi had been delayed long enough, and it was about time to get it done.
“Pass on my order! Quicken the pace!”
“Yes!”
Dust surged more than ten zhang into the air as the five thousand Wushang Cavalry picked up speed, still maintaining their neat and orderly ranks. On the other end, all the Hu cavalry of the Qixi Protectorate had assembled, organizing into neat rows and columns, a vast army gathered before the Qixi Protectorate headquarters. All of them were quiet, and the air was suffocating.
“How much farther?”
“Ten li!”
“Good! Get those things ready. Let’s give him a big present! If he can’t see our good intentions and still dares to come over, then we can’t be blamed.”
“Yes, General!”
Scout after scout galloped off.
……
A few moments later, a Wushang scout galloped back from the front and kneeled on the ground.
“Reporting! Lord Marquis, many barricades have been set up on the road!”
“Oh?”
Wang Chong’s straight brows rose, and he peered into the distance. Several hundred meters away, hundreds of triangular stakes, each around three to four feet long, had been planted on the ground, blocking the road to the Qixi Protectorate. With Wang Chong’s vision, he could even see that a large wooden pillar had been planted on the side of the road, several crude words in Han written upon it.
‘Go back now!
‘Forward is death!’
These six simple words were suffused with an intense murderous aura.
“These words… how ugly!”
Wang Chong smiled and quickly turned his head.
“Have some soldiers clear those barricades away!”
“Yes, Lord Marquis!”
An officer quickly left to deliver the order.
The post of Qixi Protector-General had never been as lucrative as imagined. On the contrary, it was one fraught with challenges. Just the unruly Hu commanders and soldiers alone were enough to give one a major headache. Wang Chong hadn’t even taken up the position, was still ten li away from the actual protectorate, and he was already being greeted by barricades. The attitude expressed here was loud and clear.
The average person, or even someone that wasn’t Wang Chong, would find this a very difficult problem to deal with, and would do as those words said and step back. Unfortunately, these Hu were dealing with Wang Chong, and Wang Chong had never been a lord who was easy to dismiss. He was not prepared to deal with these resentful soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate army using ordinary methods.
Rumble! A group of horsemen quickly split off, and in a few moments, they were raising up clouds of dust on the official road. It took them mere moments to clear the barricades and open up the path.
In cavalry battles, running into barricades or pits was commonplace. In the war of the southwest, Wang Chong had even used countless metal caltrops to obstruct the advance of the Tibetan cavalry up the mountain. As the commander of an outstanding cavalry force, Wang Chong had to consider this problem.
If the Wushang Cavalry could not even deal with this completely plausible situation, their reputation as the number one cavalry force in the world would be wasted.
Thus, when he first established this force, Wang Chong had specially trained a group of soldiers to deal with these obstructions.
After removing the barricades, the army encountered pits, caltrops, trip ropes… all sorts of obstacles appeared to obstruct their advance, but Wang Chong swiftly had them cleared away. To the current Wushang Cavalry, such things did not even count as threats. It didn’t take long before Wang Chong had advanced to five li from the Qixi Protectorate.
This time, there were no more pits or other traps. On the spacious road was a single Hu soldier, fully armored, with hawkish eyes and a high nose. He stood before the five thousand Wushang Cavalry, apparently having waited for them for a long time.
The Hu soldier turned his cold gaze to Wang Chong and suddenly bellowed, “Wang Chong, General has ordered that you immediately withdraw your soldiers. Do not make harm for yourself! If you turn back now, it will not be too late. If you cross this line, we will no longer be polite!”
Swish! The Hu soldier suddenly dragged his sharp halberd across the ground, creating a sharp boundary line on the road.
“How bold!”
“Impudent! Is Lord Marquis’s name something that you can say?”
The soldiers behind Wang Chong were incensed at this sight. Wang Chong was the Son of Heaven’s disciple, the Young Marquis of the Great Tang, and the new Qixi Protector-General. Even Li Siye and the other officers would normally not dare to call Wang Chong directly by his name, and this Hu was just a trifling soldier. To directly refer to Wang Chong by name was brazen and presumptuous to the extreme.
But before any of them could do anything, a warhorse neighed and a bloody light flashed. Boom! The Hu soldier was stupefied as a massive sword cleaved him, his horse, and the earth below him into two.
The remnants of the Sword Qi continued to tear through the earth, leaving a fissure more than ten zhang long!
“The low offending a superior! Thus is the punishment for treating Lord Marquis without proper courtesy!”
Li Siye’s eyes were frigid as his cold voice thundered over the heavens, traveling for several li. Even the soldiers in front of the Qixi Protectorate headquarters could hear his voice, and instantly paled. In the light of the morning sun, Li Siye’s figure loomed like a majestic mountain, the sight deeply branded in everyone’s mind.
“Bastard!”
All the soldiers in front of the Qixi Protectorate headquarters had nasty grimaces.
“Advance!”
Wang Chong gave a faint smile and swung his sword down. If the Hu of the Qixi Protectorate thought that these methods could be used to deal with him, they were barking up the wrong tree. Such methods would only succeed in their wildest dreams.
The army advanced, encountering no other resistance. A few moments later, Wang Chong finally arrived before the towering Qixi Protectorate headquarters and the thousands of Hu soldiers gathered before it!
The thousands of Hu were all equipped for battle and drawn up in formation, forming a massive chasm that obstructed Wang Chong’s Wushang army from reaching the Qixi Protectorate. The army was silent, their invisible killing intent soaring into the sky. The fierce gazes of these Hu soldiers seemed to want nothing more than to tear Wang Chong’s body into pieces.
The air was tense and grim. Wang Chong’s five thousand Wushang Cavalry slowly came to a halt.
“Bastards! What are these scoundrels up to!”
The soldiers behind Wang Chong were all enraged by this display. The Sage Emperor had personally decreed that Wang Chong be made Qixi Protector-General, and yet these people had mustered soldiers to resist him. This was already a blatant rebellion.
“This is absurd! Are they really thinking about rebellion?”
Xu Keyi also appeared angry, and he urged his horse into a charge.
“Wait a moment.”
Wang Chong extended a palm and called for Xu Keyi to stop.
“Come back. Let’s see what they want to do.”
Wang Chong seemed to not care about all this, and wore an indifferent expression on his face. He had long ago predicted this sight. He had been the one to remove Fumeng Lingcha, and the Hu on the border had never had a good impression of him. It would have been stranger if he had been able to smoothly enter the Qixi Protectorate to assume the post.
“The Feast at Hong Gate1—interesting!”
Wang Chong trotted his horse forward with a faint smile on his face as he confronted the vast Hu army.
He had no intentions of returning to the City of Steel. No matter how many Hu showed up, he would make them yield, whether they wanted it or not!
“Wang Chong!”
Suddenly, a stentorian voice boomed out from the rear of the army, carrying that trilling tone unique to the Hu.
“You’re quite bold. After harming our Protector-General, you still have the face to appear before us! Do you really think that we don’t dare to kill you? I will give you one chance. Retreating right now won’t be too late!”
As this cold and stubborn voice thundered, the Hu army slowly split apart, allowing twenty to thirty Hu commanders in clattering armor to stride out, killing intent seething from their bodies. Leading this group was a muscular Hu, his eyes vicious and sharp, bursting with endless ambition. The thousands of Hu soldiers around him fused their energy with his own, making him appear like a giant.
Gudu Li!
The leader of the Hu generals of the Qixi Protectorate and Wang Chong’s greatest opposition in his effort to assume the post of Qixi Protector-General.
______________
1. The Feast at Hong Gate was an event that occurred in the period between the Qin and Han Dynasty. In this period, Xiang Yu, who was the leading contender for the throne, had heard that Liu Bang, the eventual founder of the Han Dynasty, was planning to crown himself king and was enraged. He invited Liu Bang to a feast, during which his advisor Fan Zeng signaled multiple times that he should kill Liu Bang. Xiang Yu was hesitant, however, and Liu Bang was eventually able to make his escape.↩
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 844 - Brutal Suppression!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C844 - Brutal Suppression!
Chapter 844: Brutal Suppression!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Silence reigned throughout the world; neither the thousands upon thousands of Hu soldiers nor the five thousand Wushang Cavalry said a word. The tension between the two armies was growing tighter and tighter. Li Siye, Cheng Sanyuan, Su Shixuan and the others all had furious expressions, but not even they said anything.
Everyone’s eyes were focused in one direction, on one man.
“Gudu Li.”
The clopping of hooves sounded between the two armies as Wang Chong slowly trotted his horse forward, a smile on his face. He scanned the group of Hu generals fifty zhang away, an inquisitive look in his eyes.
“Defying military orders, going against a divine decree—you should know what that will result in. Disperse the army, put down your weapons, kneel down, and beg for forgiveness, and perhaps I can spare your life. Otherwise… Death! For! Defiance!”
Gudu Li said nothing, but the other Hu generals immediately broke into furious curses.
“Bastard!”
“Impudent!”
“Immature brat, who do you think you are! It isn’t your place to speak such words here!”
Gudu Li couldn’t help but give a smug grin at all this. In this period of time, he had taken full control over the Qixi Protectorate. Without his order, even if Wang Chong had the Sage Emperor’s decree and sat upon the throne of Qixi Protector-General, he would still not be able to do anything.
“Enough!”
Gudu Li extended an arm to halt his subordinates. He slightly raised his head and squinted at Wang Chong.
“Brat, you’re too arrogant. You haven’t even sat on the seat of Qixi Protector-General and are already starting to give orders! Let me tell you, only one person’s words matter here in this land of Qixi. In the past, it was Lord Fumeng Lingcha. You pulled Lord Fumeng Lingcha off his horse, but there are others who can replace him. But no matter who that person is, one thing is for certain: that person will be a Hu. And you! Even if you have the divine decree from the Imperial Court, it’s still! Useless!”
With these last two words, Gudu Li made a gesture.
Roooar!
In an instant, Gudu Li’s twenty thousand men gave a furious roar that echoed across the heavens. Birds fled in alarm, and the entire world seemed to tremble. Buzz! Xu Keyi, Su Shixuan, Cheng Sanyuan, Zhang Que and the others all couldn’t help but pale in shock.
From this unanimous roar, it was clear that the twenty thousand Hu soldiers had been forged into a single whole, a force that would make it very difficult for Wang Chong if he wanted to take the seat of Qixi Protector-General.
Gudu Li’s control over these Hu soldiers was much stronger than they had imagined.
“Lord Marquis, do we need to strike?”
Only Li Siye remained calm and composed, his eyes free of any emotion.
“No rush.”
Wang Chong chuckled and stopped Li Siye. It didn’t matter what ideas Gudu Li had, and showing off this sort of move was truly meaningless against Wang Chong. In no rush, Wang Chong turned to the Hu generals behind Gudu Li.
“Gudu Li is guilty of the unforgivable crime of plotting rebellion. What of all of you? Do you want to join him?”
Buzz!
The Hu generals all felt stifled as Wang Chong’s eyes swept over them. A person’s reputation was like a tree’s shadow. Although Wang Chong was still young, his reputation in the Western Regions was as high as the noon sun. At the battle of the triangular gap, he had even managed to kill tens of thousands of Tibetans, including Dayan Mangban, and even made a Great General like Dusong Mangpoje flee in defeat.
The death of the Black Wolf Yabgu had pushed Wang Chong’s reputation to even greater heights.
In Qixi, Wang Chong’s reputation was no different from that of the god of death. Although they might have all said that they were not afraid, the truth was anything but. But when they looked at Gudu Li, the resolve in their eyes slowly hardened.
“Foul brat, don’t try and sow discord. When did we say anything about rebellion?”
“I advise you to quickly leave. The seat of Qixi Protector-General isn’t that easy to sit upon!”
“It looks to me like you’re the one plotting rebellion! If you don’t leave soon, we might have to get a little callous!”
The generals angrily glared at Wang Chong, none of them showing any signs of backing down.
“Hahaha, see? All your efforts are in vain!”
Gudu Li looked at Wang Chong with a smug and arrogant look on his face.
“I will count to six! If you haven’t retreated by then, I will immediately give the order to attack. When the time comes, you will have yourself to blame for the results!”
The primary fighting force of the Qixi Protectorate was the Hu. If the Qixi Protectorate army experienced severe casualties after he gave the order to attack, Wang Chong might end up being dismissed from the post right after being appointed. If Wang Chong did not counter, then his own soldiers would experience many casualties and he would be bound to lose this battle.
Anyone who did not have the approval of the Hu commanders would only have the appearance of a tiger, but would otherwise have no power. This was the greatest source of Gudu Li’s confidence.
“One!”
Gudu Li raised a finger, a self-satisfied smile on his face.
“Two!”
“Three!”
Gudu Li raised finger after finger, speaking each number with brimming self-confidence that his victory over Wang Chong was certain. Who cared if he was the Young Marquis? Who cared if he was the Son of Heaven’s disciple? In the Qixi Protectorate, only Gudu Li’s words mattered.
“There’s no need for all that.”
Wang Chong slowly trotted his horse forward, a smirk on his face.
“I can answer you right now. Gudu Li, you are already dead!”
The word ‘dead’ was like thunder booming in everyone’s ears, and Gudu Li instantly paled, a stifling feeling suddenly weighing down on his heart. But the most terrifying thing of all was what happened next. Up until now, Wang Chong had always had a faint smile on his lips, but at this moment, his expression turned incomparably cold and callous. At the same time, he raised his right hand and then fiercely swung it down.
“Attack!”
That icy voice rang in everyone’s ears, followed by the neighing of horses. The five thousand unmoving and restrained Wushang Cavalry suddenly exploded with a storm of energy. In that moment, the world itself seemed to be tearing apart!
This bastard! He would dare!
Gudu Li was ghastly pale as this thought flitted through his mind. If the twenty thousand Hu cavalry of Qixi suffered grievous losses due to internal strife, Wang Chong would probably not even last the night as Qixi Protector-General. The order would almost immediately be given for his demotion and imprisonment. It was precisely because Gudu Li knew this that he dared to so brazenly defy the Imperial Court.
But he had never expected that Wang Chong would be even more brazen. He didn’t even need to think to give the order to attack.
With his greatest source of confidence lost, Gudu Li would be no different from anyone else. He equally felt panic and unease.
Bastard! You will regret this!
As this thought flashed through Gudu Li’s mind, he immediately issued the only order he could possibly give.
“Attack!”
Rumble! The neighing of warhorses filled the air as sabers, swords, and halberds were aimed at the opposing Wushang Cavalry. But these well-disciplined Qixi cavalry famed throughout the Western Regions were facing the most terrifying opponent they had ever faced. Clangclangclang! A dazzling halo emerged from beneath the hooves of the leading Wushang cavalryman, followed by a second, and a third. With astonishing speed, all five thousand Wushang Cavalry had unleashed their halos.
“Charge!”
The cavalry surged forward. By the time the twenty thousand Qixi cavalry had aimed their weapons, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry had closed the gap to thirty-some zhang.
So fast!
Gudu Li and his Hu generals immediately began to panic. They knew that the Wushang Cavalry of the City of Steel were extremely formidable, elites amongst elites, but none of them had been at the battle of the triangular gap. None of them knew that there existed such a terrifying force of cavalry in this world that could reach charging speed in less than a second!
While the twenty thousand Qixi cavalry were still at zero, the Wushang Cavalry were rapidly accelerating. Amidst these dazzling halos, the Wushang Cavalry seemed like a divine weapon that had descended from the heavens.
Rumble!
Time seemed to stop, and then there was a massive explosion as the Wushang Cavalry stabbed into the Qixi army like a sharp knife. Neeeigh! The Qixi soldiers immediately fell into chaos as they and their horses were flung into the air like they were made of paper.
Not a single one of the Qixi cavalry were able to take a single blow!
“Bastard, kill him! Kill them all!”
Gudu Li’s furious voice rang out over the army, and he was grinding his teeth so hard that they were on the verge of breaking. Wang Chong and his five thousand Wushang Cavalry were too crazy and too arrogant. The regulations of the court and the laws of the army seemed to have no power over them. These bastards were even more arrogant and domineering than he was.
“Kill then! Kill as many as you want! You madman, I’d like to see how you handle the aftermath!”
The other Hu generals at Gudu Li’s side were also anxious, issuing order after order, causing the thousands of Qixi cavalry to charge in from all sides. But none of them were able to halt the advance of the Wushang Cavalry. Rumble! The Wushang Cavalry charged straight through like they were smashing through weeds. In a few seconds, they had completely rammed through the totality of Gudu Li’s army.
But in the midst of this fierce battle, even Gudu Li failed to notice that despite the chaos as the Qixi cavalry were cut down like wheat, the majority of them were only heavily injured, with the number of actual deaths being extremely limited.
And if one looked even more carefully, one would see that a faint and flickering light had wrapped around all the Wushang Cavalry. It was not the Wushang Cavalry that had knocked the Qixi cavalry away, but this unique shroud of light.
The Impregnable Fortress Formation!
This was the greatest defensive formation of the Ten Great Battle Formations from the era of calamity, and a formation that Wang Chong had specially prepared for Gudu Li. This formation was ranked much higher than the Ten Charges Ten Victories Formation, but it was much more difficult and time-consuming to train in, and it required several objects to work with it. However, Wang Chong didn’t need his forces to attain the highest level in the Impregnable Fortress Formation to deal with Gudu Li and his Hu rebels. With the strength of the Wushang Cavalry, just the most basic level would be more than enough.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 845 - Gudu Li, Die!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C845 - Gudu Li, Die!
Chapter 845: Gudu Li, Die!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Bangbangbang! Countless sabers, swords, and halberds came in from all sides, but they were either knocked away by the white layer of light over the Wushang Cavalry or dodged. Some of the Wushang Cavalry even reached out and pulled their opponents right off their horses.
In terms of skill on horseback, there was almost no one who could surpass the Wushang Cavalry.
Rumble!
There was an earthshaking boom as the orderly army that Gudu Li had gathered was broken through, not even lasting four seconds. Fumeng Lingcha had put these Qixi cavalry through the most rigorous training and tempered them in the flames of battle.
In the view of Gudu Li and the other Hu generals, these twenty thousand cavalry were the strongest steel wall of Qixi, more than enough to deal with Wang Chong.
But none of them had expected to see that rather than steel, this wall was apparently made of paper, instantly torn through by Wang Chong’s five thousand men! Through absolute strength, Wang Chong had utterly crushed the thousands of Qixi cavalry.
Neigh!
All was in turmoil, with screams and neighs filling the air, the stark difference in strength causing all twenty thousand soldiers of the Qixi army to panic.
“Damn it!!”
“Get out of the way! Those Han bastards are charging over!”
“How could this be! Ah! It’s too frightening! Get out of the way!”
The five thousand Wushang Cavalry were absolute victors, delivering a massive shock that bored into the souls of all the Qixi soldiers. For the first time, this Hu army that believed itself to be invincible in Qixi experienced an earthquake of a blow!
Their rout was as swift as a landslide!
With just a single charge, Wang Chong’s men had punched through the center of Gudu Li’s army, causing it to fall to pieces.
“Damndamndamn!”
Gudu Li’s eyes had turned red at this sight.
“Don’t be afraid! Kill them! Charge together, get up there, kill them all…”
Gudu Li shouted with all his might, his entire body in panic. In Qixi, the strongest people were the Hu soldiers. They had defeated the Tibetans and the Western Turks. These were true soldiers of steel, veterans of one hundred battles!
Gudu Li didn’t believe that a mighty army like this could be so easily defeated.
He was still struggling at death’s edge, still attempting to rally the army and use his advantage in numbers to crush Wang Chong and the Wushang Cavalry. But at this moment, amidst the din of battle, Gudu Li suddenly heard the galloping of a horse.
A powerful energy was surging toward him like a wave, sweeping through his army. With no warning whatsoever, he suddenly felt an intense danger.
His heart shivered, and he immediately pulled out his sword. But Gudu Li’s reaction was still too slow. The moment he pulled out his sword, there was a cold flash of light, and a blood-red horse rose into the air, its giant of a rider slashing down with a sword larger than a man.
Even the sun in the sky seemed to dim as that massive sword exploded with a searing and dazzling light. With an unstoppable momentum that could shatter momentums, it crashed down upon Gudu Li.
Rumble!
There was a massive boom. Gudu Li only had enough time to gather all the Stellar Energy in his body into his sword and bring the sword up to block. And then, time seemed to stop and the sounds of battle seemed to fade away.
In this moment of stopped time, countless gazes gathered on Gudu Li, flabbergasted, confused, or incredulous.
In the center of the battlefield, the future Invincible Great General Li Siye sat upon his Ferghana steed, his expression cold and aloof, his massive Wootz Steel sword aimed downward. Kneeling beneath his sword was the leader of the Qixi rebels, Gudu Li. His hands were both raised, his sword held aloft, his entire body seemingly frozen in place.
Clang!
The first to shatter was that well-tempered sword in Gudu Li’s hand, and then a line of blood began to travel down from his forehead, an invisible thread dividing his body into two. His eyes wide open in disbelief, Gudu Li fell apart, the halves of his body thudding to the left and the right.
Boom! Dust plumed into the air as a stream of Sword Qi shot out of the earth and into the sky, leaving behind a fissure six to seven zhang long behind Gudu Li’s corpse.
The Sword Qi that Li Siye had sent into the earth had only just now exploded with its true strength.
“One who dares to gather troops for a mutiny is so punished!”
Sitting upon his horse, his sword pointed at Gudu Li’s corpse, Li Siye exuded mighty waves of icy-cold killing intent, his grim and callous voice echoing over the Qixi Protectorate.
Bang!
At the start, with Gudu Li still maintaining morale, there had still been some Hu who had been willing to fight to the death, even though the Wushang Cavalry had punched completely through the army. But now, their leader had fallen, and the last thread of hope that the Hu cavalry had clung to was cut.
“Kneel and surrender. Or else, die!”
Wang Chong’s voice rang in their ears, frigid and devoid of emotion.
Whoosh!
The Qixi cavalry immediately began to throw down their weapons and kneel trembling on the ground. The one or two at the start soon became a vast sea of kneeling soldiers. Gudu Li was dead, and these cavalry from the City of Steel were simply too powerful, not something that mere humans could fight against.
“What are you doing! Have you forgotten who harmed the Protector-General?”
“Bastards! He’s a Han! Get up, everyone get up!”
Two Hu generals were both stunned and furious at this sight and immediately began to curse. But with two swift thrusts, both of these Hu generals found swords running through their bodies.
“Rebels and traitors, not even death can redeem your crimes.”
Huang Botian stepped on the body of a Hu general, a scornful look on his face as he slowly pulled out his sword. Huang Botian was a native of Wushang Village and had a very simple mind. He had long ago found himself disgusted by the disobedience of this lot. If not for the fact that Wang Chong had not given the order, he would have disposed of them much earlier.
“Bastard!! Wang Chong, you’re dead for sure! I don’t believe that you would dare to kill all of us—” another Hu general bellowed, but before he could finish, a spear had stabbed through his throat and nailed him to the earth. Even in death, his eyes were still wide open in disbelief that he had been killed without a second thought.
This bastard! Is he not worried about the Imperial Court’s investigation…
This was the last thought of his life.
With the deaths of these generals, the remaining generals began to flee, losing all resolve to fight against Wang Chong.
Only now did they realize that they had deeply underestimated this Han youth. His blows struck with the force of ten thousand jun, but vicious and decisive. Their confidence and tricks had been meaningless against him.
“Take another step and die!”
Wang Chong trotted his horse forward, a faint smile returned to his lips. His voice was neither loud nor soft, nor was there any hint of anger within it, but in the ears of those Hu generals, it was like a peal of thunder. Those fleeing Hu generals instantly came to a quivering halt, the blood draining from their faces.
Even though there was no one there to obstruct their path, their feet seemed to be nailed to the ground. A massive fear had seized them, stopping them from taking even half a step, and the last remnants of their courage were dashed to pieces.
Only the fiercest and most courageous of the Hu would dare to gather soldiers for a mutiny. These people were a fearless lot, but Wang Chong had managed to instill a deep fear within them. Although the Young Marquis of the City of Steel had the face of a seventeen-year-old, he was a most terrifying devil in their eyes.
Wang Chong’s iron hand had utterly pulverized their resolve.
Gallop!
The horse hooves seemed to be thundering atop their hearts. All the Hu cavalry lowered their heads in fear, not even daring to look. If they had no impression of Wang Chong in the past, one could now be certain that Wang Chong now loomed as an invincible god in their hearts.
“Kneel!”
Wang Chong rode his horse through the battlefield as though he was taking a leisurely ride, his eyes scanning the battlefield. With this simple order, those Hu generals on the edge of the battlefield who had tried to flee immediately got down on their knees.
With the kneeling of these Hu commanders, the rebellion they had instigated also came to an end.
Wang Chong paused at Li Siye’s side and ordered, “Li Siye, you take care of the rest!”
“Yes, Lord Marquis.”
Li Siye nodded, and his body immediately exploded with a domineering aura that dealt a deep shock to the Hu commanders. Li Siye had a background in the army, and before he had begun to serve Wang Chong, he had already gained a great deal of experience in Beiting. Although he was still no good at administration, he had no problem reorganizing soldiers.
Wang Chong nodded and continued forward.
This battle had been resolved without his even needing to lift a finger. This was absolute power! At this stage, there were many things that no longer needed his personal interference. Li Siye, Huang Botian, Xu Keyi, and the others could settle it all.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 846 - Consolidating Qixi! (I)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C846 - Consolidating Qixi! (I)
Chapter 846: Consolidating Qixi! (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Li Siye, upon receiving the order, immediately began to reorganize the Qixi army. The army valued speed and decisiveness, and whether in the last life or this, the Invincible Great General had always conscientiously carried out his duty. Besides that, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry armed to the teeth had thoroughly cowed the Hu soldiers.
“Xu Keyi, see what the casualties amongst the Hu are,” Wang Chong lightly ordered upon making a circuit of the battlefield.
“Yes, Lord Marquis.”
Xu Keyi immediately left with the order. In terms of administration, Xu Keyi was undoubtedly an excellent worker. It took only a few moments for Xu Keyi to return.
“Milord, of the Qixi Protectorate army, four Hu generals were killed. The Hu cavalry suffered one hundred and fifty deaths. As for heavy injuries… eight thousand seven hundred, and countless people with light injuries!”
Xu Keyi’s voice paused and became much faster as he reported the last number.
This battle had successfully defeated and subdued the rebel Hu of the Qixi Protectorate army, but the cost had been unavoidably large. Eight thousand seven hundred heavily injured… Xu Keyi snuck a glance at Wang Chong, a little concerned that this news would be extremely disadvantageous for Wang Chong once it reached the Imperial Court.
After all, the Qixi Protectorate army only had a few tens of thousands of soldiers in total!
“Just one hundred and fifty soldiers… that’s good enough. Xu Keyi, prepare a memorial reporting this matter to the Imperial Court!”
To Xu Keyi’s surprise, Wang Chong was quite relieved at this report, even giving a long sigh of relief. Wang Chong knew what Xu Keyi was thinking and shot him an indifferent smile.
“Relax—it’ll be fine. Just do as I say!”
Wang Chong had grown up in clan of ministers and generals, so he knew a great deal about how the army worked. Although eight thousand seven hundred soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate army had been heavily injured in this battle, a rather astonishing number, the Imperial Court would actually only care about the one hundred and fifty dead.
It would barely even pay attention to the heavily wounded!
In the military, ‘heavily wounded’ and ‘dead’ were two completely different concepts. The heavily wounded could recover once a certain amount of time had passed, but the dead could not be revived. One hundred and fifty dead to resolve the chaos of Qixi would leave both the Imperial Court and the Sage Emperor with nothing to complain about.
Wang Chong had planned this all out from the very beginning.
“Everyone else, follow me!”
Wang Chong waved an arm and led the rest of his subordinates to the Qixi Protectorate headquarters. The battle was over, so Wang Chong could put all his attention on that enormous structure.
I can finally get a good look…
In truth, he had passed the Qixi Protectorate many times, but the existence of Fumeng Lingcha had meant that he never dared to get close. The closest he had ever been to this massive building was the night of his battle with the Black Wolf Yabgu, but even then, Wang Chong had not been so close.
Wang Chong carefully inspected this massive edifice. It was more than ten zhang tall, the entire building constructed from bronze, refined iron, gold, silver, and Deep Sea Xuan Metal. While grandiose and gorgeous, it was also firm and steady. But Wang Chong’s attention was more on the countless scars left by weapons on its surface as well as the scorch marks left by the flames of battle.
On this massive building, Wang Chong could see the deep marks of history, eroded by the long passage of time.
The Qixi Protectorate headquarters had not been built recently. In fact, one could trace it all the way back to the era of Emperor Taizong, many years ago. Fumeng Lingcha was also far from the first Qixi Protector-General. Generation after generation of border generals had presided over this place, each one leaving their own marks upon it.
After many years, the Qixi Protectorate finally welcomed another Han Protector-General.
“Su Shixuan, get the roster for the Qixi Protectorate. Inspect all the servants, maids, and laborers. Keep all those that pass muster and dismiss all those who can’t. In addition…”
Wang Chong suddenly paused for a moment, a smile emerging on his lips.
“In addition, you can tell Xu Qiqin that she can come over.”
With these words said, Wang Chong strode like a shooting star into the center of the hall. The floor of the Qixi Protectorate headquarters was also made of metal, and it felt cold beneath his feet, but Wang Chong could also sense something else. This was the first time since he had reincarnated that Wang Chong had stepped into the famous Qixi Protectorate of the western border.
Wang Chong could sense that the marks of authority had been deeply branded into every inch of this building.
The tens of thousands of soldiers of Qixi, the nearby Qixi Armory, and the vital road to the Western Regions were all controlled from this massive building.
This was the first time in his life that Wang Chong had stepped upon this peak of supreme authority.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Wang Chong’s pace was leisurely and unhurried, his footsteps echoing through the hall. As he passed through a pair of heavy metal doors, Wang Chong finally set his eyes upon the throne that was the condensation of this authority.
Boom!
As his subordinates looked on, Wang Chong stepped onto the raised platform, turned around, and seated himself upon this throne of supreme power. In that moment, all of Qixi seemed to tremble.
Very few people could sense that as Wang Chong seated himself upon this throne, the power structure of Qixi and the Western Regions shifted, and the course of history began to set off on a completely different path.
I’ve finally succeeded! Starting from now, I will be the one to protect this Great Tang!
As he rested his arms upon the throne and felt the great power that had precipitated upon it over the long course of history, thunder rumbled within his mind.
Qixi Protector-General, one of the greatest positions of authority in the Great Tang!
At this moment, only Wang Chong was aware that he had truly grasped the strength to change the fate of this empire!
In all of Qixi, Wang Chong no longer had any opponents!
……
Flap flap!
Several days after Wang Chong had taken complete control over Qixi, a carrier pigeon flew into the capital.
“Hahaha, Wang Chong, this king did not judge you wrongly. I didn’t think that you would pacify Qixi so quickly!”
King Song laughed in relief upon receiving the letter.
King Song had overcome great opposition to recommend Wang Chong for Qixi Protector-General, and only he knew just how much pressure he had experienced. The court, the Sage Emperor, and even the general populace had been focused on him. Wang Chong’s success or failure had not just concerned his own future prospects, but King Song’s as well.
If King Song were found to have made the wrong recommendation and Wang Chong could not stabilize Qixi, his influence in the court would receive a massive blow, and even the Sage Emperor would no longer treat him with as much favor.
But to his surprise, not long after the Imperial Court issued its decree, Wang Chong had quickly resolved all the unstable factors in Qixi, and it was at the small price of only one hundred and fifty Hu soldiers.
The old butler bowed and said, “Your Highness! It seems that child has finished maturing. With him in Qixi, Your Highness has nothing to worry about. As expected, this child did not betray Your Highness’s high hopes!”
He had also been there to watch as Wang Chong matured. He had never imagined that this youth of the capital who had needed his help to deal with King Sosurim would today become someone who could handle himself and replace Fumeng Lingcha to sit on the throne of one of the highest positions in the empire. At this moment, even the old butler felt a deep admiration.
“Write a letter for me to Wang Chong. Tell him that he can operate without worry in Qixi. If he needs anything, he can just tell me, and I will do all I can from the capital to assist him,” King Song said. “That’s right, I remember that Wang Chong submitted a memorial not too long ago asking for the City of Steel to be made a transfer point for soldiers. I will present it to the Sage Emperor. In addition, given the many battles Qixi has experienced lately, inform the Bureau of Military Personnel that Qixi should receive priority in terms of troop replenishment.”
“Yes! Your Highness!”
……
Time slowly passed. With the slaying of Gudu Li, Wang Chong had smoothly assumed the seat of Qixi Protector-General, crushing all the opposition in his way. In addition, Li Siye had finished reorganizing all the Hu soldiers who had taken part in the rebellion, and everything was on the right track.
In the massive hall of the Qixi Protectorate had been placed a massive model with Talas at the center. Many small flags of various colors had been placed on the model. Wang Chong stood next to it, gripping a small red flag and looking pensive.
“Lord Marquis, the Hu of Qixi still won’t submit!”
A voice suddenly came from behind him as Xu Keyi strode in. He was dressed in martial attire, and his brow was thick with worry.
“We defeated the Hu soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate, killed Gudu Li, and even had General Li reorganize them, but these Hu are still only loyal on the surface. Many disturbances have taken place over the last few nights. Although they’re just small things like the killing of a horse, brawls, or a few rations being destroyed, this subordinate worries that these Hu won’t be very useful. At some crucial battle, they might cause an even greater disturbance!”
“Heba Ye can’t deal with them?” Wang Chong indifferently said, not even turning his head. His eyes were still focused on the model before him.
Heba Ye had rushed over right after the battle had ended. Unlike the other Hu generals, he had witnessed the battle at the triangular gap and was well aware of the monstrous power of Wang Chong’s five thousand cavalry. When Gudu Li had been gathering the Hu generals to start a rebellion, Heba Ye had been the sole high-ranking Hu general to remain uninvolved.
And unlike the other Hu generals, the moment Heba Ye arrived, he had immediately acknowledged Wang Chong as his lord and respected the Imperial Court’s decision. Wang Chong also knew that this Qixi commander in charge of the Tibetan border was completely different from Gudu Li, a dependable general who was loyal to the Great Tang. Thus, once the Hu army had been reorganized, Wang Chong had passed command over them to Heba Ye.
Heba Ye was also a Hu, and he had always had some prestige in the army. Having him take care of those rebel Hu was the best solution.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 847 - Consolidating Qixi! (II)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C847 - Consolidating Qixi! (II)
Chapter 847: Consolidating Qixi! (II)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“General Heba truly has managed to bring over a significant portion of the Hu soldiers, but there are still quite a few of them who continue to privately harbor grudges,” Xu Keyi said in a low voice.
“Heh!”
Wang Chong gave a light chuckle as he casually placed the little red flag in his hands onto a plain near Talas, and then turned to Xu Keyi.
“It’s probably for Fumeng Lingcha’s sake.”
“Yes!”
Xu Keyi lowered his head, his voice even softer. He had made a rather thorough investigation of the Hu rebellion and he knew that all the sticking points revolved around Wang Chong. Put more accurately, they revolved around Fumeng Lingcha. After operating in Qixi for so many years, Fumeng Lingcha had a prestige as high as the noon sun, and his roots had deeply burrowed into the heart of every Hu soldier.
This was what had driven Gudu Li’s mutiny as well as the disturbances of these Hu soldiers. Heba Ye alone could not resolve this matter. Xu Keyi had truthfully wanted to bring up this matter with Wang Chong, but Wang Chong had managed to bring it up first.
“Xu Keyi, you’re treating this matter too seriously. It’s just a few minor disturbances. They don’t have the great abilities you imagine them to have. In addition, I’ve already thought of a method to deal with those Hu soldiers who still privately hold grudges against me,” Wang Chong indifferently said, a relaxed look on his face.
“Ah?”
Xu Keyi finally raised his head, unable to suppress the surprise in his eyes. This problem had vexed him for a long time, but he had still not been able to think of a solution. Killing them was bad, and not killing them did nothing. It was like a fishbone in his throat. But Wang Chong had apparently already thought of a way to handle it.
“Take this letter and send it to Beiting Protector-General An Sishun. I’m confident that he will happily take care of this problem for us.”
As Xu Keyi watched on in disbelief, Wang Chong removed a prepared letter from his bosom.
“Milord…”
Xu Keyi’s eyes turned sluggish, his expression bewildered as he struggled to understand Wang Chong’s intentions. To have Beiting Protector-General An Sishun handle this problem and take these resentful Hu soldiers off their hands seemed a bit too much like wishful thinking.
“Will Lord An Sishun really be willing?” Xu Keyi anxiously said. If he remembered correctly, Wang Chong and the Beiting Protector-General had a very poor relationship, with Wang Chong even conflicting with him in that incident in the capital. Moreover, that individual in Beiting had also been strenuously opposed to Wang Chong’s becoming Qixi Protector-General.
That Wang Chong would ask for his help was simply beyond the bounds of Xu Keyi’s imagination.
“You don’t need to worry about that. No matter what quarrels I’ve had in the past with the Beiting Protector-General, he will definitely agree to this request,” Wang Chong unconcernedly said, his voice brimming with confidence.
“Yes, Lord Marquis!”
Although he was still lost, Xu Keyi assented and left to deliver the letter.
……
Flap flap!
Several days later, a black bird of prey carrying Wang Chong’s handwritten letter had finished crossing the steppe, traveling along the border of the Great Tang and the Western Turkic Khaganate to reach the illustrious center of Tang authority in the north, the Beiting Protectorate!
On this vast and boundless earth, a black colossus loomed. This was a massive war machine, playing host to an outer wall six to seven zhang tall, populated with all sorts of lookout posts, barracks, and towers, as well as an enormous hall made of metal. The thousands upon thousands of black-armored soldiers of the Beiting Protectorate could be seen amidst these lookout posts, barracks, and towers.
These people all had erect postures, like they had taken root in the earth. They exuded powerful auras as their eyes warily scanned the surroundings, ready at any time to enter battle.
In the Great Tang Empire, there was no one more vigilant than the warriors of the Beiting Protectorate. They needed to be ready at any moment to attack the Turkic army, which could be coming from any direction.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew by as the black bird flew through the main doors and landed in the gloomy hall. In the hall, a Hu of thirty-some years dressed in full armor was seated on a raised throne, the lines on his face hard and determined. He was holding a book bound in black, all his attention focused on reading it.
This middle-aged Hu appeared unaware that this black bird had entered his hall.
Beiting was a land scorched by the fires of war and embroiled in frequent battles, with the Beiting Protectorate itself being the center of most of these wars. It should have been a grim and somber place, but the presence of this thirty-some-year-old Hu made it so that the entire headquarters was suffused with an amiable and scholarly atmosphere. It could fool one into thinking that this was some estate in Jiangnan, not a fort on the chilly steppe.
Clang!
A cold light flashed in the hall as a stalwart figure strode forward, his sword unsheathing, its gleaming tip aimed at the black bird.
“Mm?”
This fierce general of Beiting with a scar on the left side of his face noticed something on the bird’s legs, and his eyes widened, a strange expression appearing on his face. After thinking for a moment, the general allowed the bird to perch on his sword, then strode over to the middle-aged Hu engrossed in his reading, and bowed.
“Milord, there’s a letter, but your subordinate does not dare to open it.”
The scar-faced general spoke very softly, his eyes focused on the tips of his feet. Only one person would make him express such sincere respect: Beiting Protector-General An Sishun.
“Why wouldn’t you dare to open it? Is there a letter that even you, the Beiting Vice Protector-General, do not dare to open?”
An Sishun grinned, but his head remained lowered. The book in his hand seemed to be the only thing that existed in his eyes.
The scar-faced Beiting Vice Protector-General lowered his head and replied, “Milord, I truly do not dare to open it, because the seal of Qixi was placed upon it.”
An Sishun gave a careless smile as he flipped to the next page, but he quickly noticed that something was wrong, his thick brows slowly creasing. “Oh.” His gaze finally began to look up from the book.
“Qixi?”
“Yes, Qixi,” the Beiting Vice Protector-General respectfully said, knowing that his superior had already realized what was going on.
In these last few months, the Great Tang Empire had experienced a massive earthquake, with the power structure that had lasted for several decades undergoing a major transformation. A prince had been toppled, bringing with him many important officials, and a Protector-General had been imprisoned. Moreover, the Sage Emperor’s rage had made all the Protector-Generals and Great Generals quiver in fear.
In the past, when Fumeng Lingcha still reigned in Qixi, An Sishun had ordered that the Qixi Protector-General could do as he wished without needing to ask permission. But right now, all the Protector-Generals and Great Generals of the empire knew that the land of Qixi had a new owner. His ascension had been as fierce as a storm and had been accompanied by the fall of an extremely senior Imperial Great General.
The current Qixi Protector-General was undoubtedly a special character in the minds of the other Protector-Generals and Great Generals. A newly appointed official, he was having his every move watched, but no one expected that his first action upon assuming his post would be to send a letter to the Beiting Protectorate.
If he remembered correctly, he was certainly not a good friend or ally of that Protector-General.
“Hand it over!”
An Sishun finally put down his book, a suspicious look in his eyes as he reached out his right hand. He was also puzzled, as there was no conceivable reason for this letter. Upon taking the letter from the black bird’s leg and glancing through it, An Sishun immediately began to laugh, his brow unfurling.
“Interesting, very interesting! I didn’t think that our new appointee would come asking for my help on his first day…”
“Ah?”
The Beiting Vice Protector-General trembled, clearly stunned by this revelation.
“Ask for help? Is Milord joking?”
If one examined the past conduct and actions of the newly-appointed Protector-General, one would find that this was an extremely tough and determined individual. Only someone this tough and unyielding would have been capable of unseating Fumeng Lingcha, but such an individual would never seek help from others, much less someone he had previous conflicts with.
Seeking help from a mortal foe was simply unheard of.
“Hahaha, I won’t keep you in suspense. Take a look for yourself.”
An Sishun fired Wang Chong’s letter on a puff of wind into the hands of the scar-faced general. A mere glance at the contents was enough to leave the Vice Protector-General stupefied.
“I didn’t think that he would so quickly pacify the Qixi Protectorate. He killed someone like Gudu Li without even thinking, and now he’s asking for our help in taking in nearly ten thousand Hu soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate!”
“It’s supposedly a request, but that’s simply too much. This person has never even thought about asking for help,” An Sishun indifferently said, flicking his fingernails as he slowly stood up from the throne. “He’s just proposing a deal to us, and he’s apparently certain that I will agree.”
An Sishun smirked. This letter was truly very interesting, perhaps the most interesting letter he had received this year. It was a letter seeking help, but the writer adopted none of the appropriate attitude. What letter could be more interesting than that?
The Vice Protector-General squinted and said in a huff, “This brat is a little too conceited. Just what makes him think we’ll agree? And besides, he’s been acting far too brashly lately. Milord, why don’t I just reject him? Let him hit a snag and learn a little lesson.”
That Young Marquis of the Qixi Protectorate was certainly not a welcomed guest in Beiting. It was best to just flatly reject such a rude request for help!
“Reject?”
A thoughtful look appeared in An Sishun’s eyes, but he smiled and shook his head.
“Why should we reject it?”
“Milord, you want to agree to this?!”
The scar-faced general froze, his face locked in disbelief. This answer was definitely not the one he had predicted. At this moment, even Ishbara Khagan of the Western Turks appearing in front of his face would have been less surprising.
“This brat is our enemy!”
It had to be said that the Protector-General’s answer had dealt his heart a thunderous blow. He had never imagined that his Protector-General, who had always been an enemy of that youngest son of the Wang Clan, would actually reverse course and agree to help out.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 848 - The Rules of Great Generals
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C848 - The Rules of Great Generals
Chapter 848: The Rules of Great Generals
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“You find it very difficult to understand?”
An Sishun grinned as he descended from his throne. His expression was relaxed, and he exuded an energetic and farsighted aura.
“There’s no such thing as pure enemies, and no such thing as pure friends. Whether it was Fumeng Lingcha in the past or the Young Marquis in the present, whether the tone in their letters was rude or nice, as long as it’s to our advantage, we’ll naturally accept. Even if the letter is as rude as possible, we still shouldn’t care. As for if it’s to our disadvantage, we should swiftly refuse. Even the most pleasant and tactful tone will not make us think otherwise.
“I’ve been underestimating that boy in Qixi. I thought that he had just an ordinary courage, capable of only operating on a small scale. Such an individual, no matter how dazzling or how quickly they rise, isn’t worth the attention of people like me and Geshu Han. But I didn’t think that only a few days after assuming the post of Qixi Protector-General, he would have grasped the rules behind the games of Great Generals! I now admit that this boy has the right to enter this imperial game of elites that I, Geshu Han, and Zhang Shougui play!”
An Sishun’s eyes seemed to pierce through the walls of the hall, and a profound smile appeared on his lips.
Meanwhile, the scar-faced Vice Protector-General was slack-jawed and wide-eyed.
‘The imperial game of elites’! Even though he had followed An Sishun for many years, this was the first time he had heard of this secret of the Great Generals!
“Don’t think about it! Send a reply to our new Qixi Protector-General. The Beiting Protectorate has frequent battles and truly has a need for soldiers, so I will take those Hu soldiers of his!”
With these final words, An Sishun’s eyes exploded with a bright and intimidating light.
“Yes, Milord!”
……
Several days later, in the Qixi Protectorate…
“Lord Marquis, the Beiting Protector-General has sent a letter saying that he will take as many of the Hu soldiers that we want to get rid of as we can give.”
Xu Keyi excitedly rushed into the hall, his face still covered in disbelief.
An Imperial Protector-General like An Sishun, who had quarreled several times with the marquis, had actually agreed to help!
“Is that so?”
Wang Chong slightly raised his head, no surprise to be seen in his eyes.
“Write a reply back to An Sishun saying that I understand and that the soldiers that the Qixi Protectorate doesn’t need will be quickly transferred to him.”
Wang Chong’s tone was relaxed and confident, like he was taking care of a trifling task, as if An Sishun was doing something he ought to have done as part of his duties. Xu Keyi was dazed, and he once more felt a surge of admiration for his lord. Only his marquis would have been capable of such a feat.
Wang Chong gave a faint smile before lowering his head to continue perusing the letter sent by Yang Hongchang.
“You’ll understand in the future. Right now, you should inform Heba Ye about this.”
Imperial Great Generals and Protector-Generals would rarely be influenced by their emotions in their interactions with each other. Everything was guided by benefit and the overall situation. This was a quality that every general needed. One who couldn’t do this could not make a good Great General. However, this one was only targeted at Great Generals and Protector-Generals of the same level. One who could not reach this class did not have the right to play this level of game!
As the Grand Marshal of the world in his last life, the esteemed War Saint, Wang Chong naturally understood this idea.
“Yes, Lord Marquis.”
Xu Keyi, only half-understanding Wang Chong’s words, quickly left.
When Xu Keyi left, Wang Chong continued to read the letter in his hands. Owing to the long distance, the Great Tang had always been lacking in soldiers within the Western Regions. The soldiers garrisoned in the Western Regions were far more skilled than the soldiers of the other protectorates, but this policy of utilizing solely elites was a forced one.
In order to resolve that future crisis, the troops of just Qixi and Anxi were far from enough.
But the unique advantage of the Western Regions was its many available mercenaries. As long as one had enough money, one could quickly muster a large force. In this letter were the results from Wang Chong’s request for Yang Hongchang to investigate the mercenary groups of the Western Regions.
……
The efficiency of Heba Ye and Xu Keyi was far greater than expected. On the very same night, the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate army were once more reorganized. Those who wished to remain would remain in the Qixi Protectorate. Those who did not want to follow a Han would be placed under Heba Ye’s command. And those who wanted neither would be sent to the Beiting Protectorate to serve An Sishun.
Although Heba Ye had earnestly wanted to stop this, he could do nothing. A melon forced off the vine wasn’t sweet, and if these soldiers didn’t want to stay, forcing them to stay would be meaningless and would only breed future conflict.
Time slowly passed, as Wang Chong engaged in his massive reconsolidation of Qixi. This ‘stay or go’ operation continued all the way until the end of the Zi Period. Finally, in the Chou Period, all had fallen silent.
“We can’t wait any longer…”
Soft whispering could be heard in the darkness, not in Hu or Han, but in an even more complicated language, one seldom heard, even in the Western Regions.
“This young Han Protector-General is too formidable. If he keeps up this interrogation, our identities will be immediately exposed,” another voice whispered back.
At the edge of the Qixi Protectorate army barracks, underneath a high fence, several figures were furtively moving through the darkness. They were not moving in the direction of the Han soldiers, nor were they moving with the Hu soldiers who were being transferred to Beiting. They were moving to the northwest.
“Hurry! When the sun comes up, we won’t be able to leave. We need to report back to Lord Governor. We must put more focus on this young Han Protector-General. Those cavalry of his are too powerful. They will definitely be a big problem for us in the future.”
“Mm. I really didn’t think that there would be such a powerful group of soldiers in the far east! Lord Governor will definitely pay a great deal of attention to our discovery.”
As these people whispered to each other, they used their scimitars to cut out a one-person opening in the fence, out of sight of the sentries. These people then moved through this opening with strange movements, like those of a flapping mud fish.
“Okay, go!”
Once they had left the barracks, the people sighed and immediately began to rush to the northwest. But before they could get very far, a shout suddenly came from in front of them.
“Halt! Where are you going!”
“Spies! Don’t let them escape!”
“Seize them!”
Swishswishswish! A rain of fire arrows fell around these men, followed by several torches. In the dark night, shouting figures charged in from all sides like converging wolves.
Gallop!
The hooves of horses thundered across the earth as the cavalry arrived. In the blink of an eye, thirty to fifty Wushang Cavalry had reached the scene, torches raised high to clearly illuminate the surroundings, revealing those ‘deserters’ who had tried to escape under the cover of darkness.
In the light of the torches, one could see that these people had high noses and deep eyes, as well as pronounced cheekbones. They looked very much like Hu, but their blue eyes made them completely different.
No one in the Western Regions had such unique eyes.
Arabs!
Xu Keyi stood in front of the Wushang Cavalry, stunned, the men behind him showing the same expression. The Qixi Protectorate had only two kinds of people: Hu and Han. They had followed Wang Chong’s order and patrolled the perimeter to guard against scouts and spies, but they had never imagined that they would catch Arabs.
And they were even wearing the armor of the Qixi Protectorate army!
The torch lights flickered over a silent scene.
As they saw the Wushang Cavalry closing off all paths of escape and more Qixi soldiers rushing over, the Arabs instantly turned ghastly pale.
……
“What?!”
During the day, within the main hall of the Qixi Protectorate, Wang Chong was stunned by Xu Keyi’s report.
“Arab spies were discovered in the Qixi Protectorate, and they were disguised as Hu cavalry?!”
“Yes, Lord Marquis. I sent men to investigate and discovered that they were registered in the Qixi Protectorate army under Hu names, and according to the records, they have been in the army for around six months.”
Xu Keyi bowed, his face serious. As he spoke, he waved his hand behind him.
“Bring them in.”
Thud! Thud!
Several Wushang cavalrymen immediately entered and threw to the ground several tied-up Arab soldiers.
As Wang Chong looked at these stalwart Arab soldiers, a grim look appeared in his eyes.
Wang Chong had seen Arab merchants before, and in his dissolute and decadent years, he had interacted with them quite a few times. Those Arab merchants were exactly as many people thought of them: plump, amiable, opulently attired, their fingers studded with rings of agate and jade. They looked just like clowns.
But these Arabs were completely different. They had tall, well-proportioned, and sturdy physiques, as if they had been cast from steel, and they were brimming with an explosive strength. In addition, the thick calluses on their palms gave away their status. These were not traveling merchants, but regular soldiers of the Arab army.
Wang Chong had never imagined that he would meet regular Arab soldiers in this sort of situation.
The Abbasid Caliphate had always been an extremely formidable opponent in Wang Chong’s mind. Once he had settled everything with the Qixi Protectorate and finished the consolidation, Wang Chong planned to point his sword at Arabia. Even if they didn’t come, Wang Chong would still go and find them. But Wang Chong had never in his wildest dreams imagined that the Arabs had already stretched their claws into the Qixi Protectorate, even mixing into the army as Hu.
Wang Chong had always been vigilant against the Arabs, but this was beyond even his own predictions.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 849 - Sudden Change in Anxi!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C849 - Sudden Change in Anxi!
Chapter 849: Sudden Change in Anxi!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Let me ask, who sent all of you?”
Wang Chong strode over and stopped in front of the Arabs, his body exuding a powerful and oppressive aura. But the Arabs turned their heads and pretended to not understand what was being said. Wang Chong sneered at this display. These people had succeeded in disguising themselves as Tang soldiers and entering Qixi, so it wasn’t possible for them to not understand Han.
“Is it Abu Muslim?” Wang Chong suddenly asked. This time, he did not speak in Han, but Arabic.
Buzz!
At these words, the Arab soldiers instantly shuddered and twisted their heads, their mouths open and their faces ghastly pale.
When Wang Chong saw this, his heart instantly sank.
Abu Muslim1 was the Abbasid Caliphate’s Governor of the East, the Great Tang’s most powerful foe in the Western Regions. In the future Battle of Talas, this person would serve as the highest commander of the Abbasid Caliphate! Although these Arabs had not answered him, their reactions had told him everything.
I didn’t think that his claws would have already stretched here…
Wang Chong felt deeply disheartened.
Wang Chong’s knowledge was actually very limited on this Abbasid Governor of the East, this highest commander of the Arab side at the Battle of Talas. Wang Chong had always believed that he had been the only one silently preparing for this battle, but he had never imagined that this Governor of the East had already begun to dispatch scouts and spies to the Great Tang six months beforehand. Moreover, his spies had already worked their way through Anxi and reached Qixi.
Wang Chong could already smell the stenches of battles and schemes.
In a flash, Wang Chong suddenly realized that he had deeply underestimated this Arab commander who resided west of the Cong Mountains. This Arab was definitely more frightening and much harder to deal with than he had imagined.
“You actually know the name of our lord?!”
“Impossible! A Tang like you can speak our tongue!”
“Give up on this idea! No matter what you ask, we won’t say a word.”
At this moment, those stubbornly silent Arab spies finally decided to speak. The Arabic that Wang Chong had spoken and the name ‘Abu Muslim’ had given them an enormous shock. During their entire infiltration of the Central Plains, this was the first time they had heard someone speak such fluent Arabic. Not even the open-minded Fumeng Lingcha had been able to perform such a feat.
In truth, the number of people who could speak Arabic in the entire Western Regions wasn’t very large at all.
But the most shocking of all was that Wang Chong knew the name of their highest commander.
Arabia and the Great Tang were very far from each other, limiting the knowledge that each state had of the other. In addition, the Arabs were much more vigilant against outsiders than the Great Tang, with all military knowledge being absolute secrets. Not even many people in the nearby kingdoms of the Western Regions knew the name of their commander, but this Han Protector-General who had never once been to Arabia, perhaps never even to the Western Regions, could actually call out his name!
These elite scouts of the Abbasid Caliphate were dumbfounded!
“There’s no need to say anything. All of you have already answered me!” Wang Chong indifferently said. The name ‘Abu Muslim’ was enough to tell Wang Chong almost everything. What else these scouts had to say really didn’t matter.
“Xu Keyi, take them away. I’ll let you handle the rest.”
“Yes, Lord Marquis.”
Xu Keyi understood and waved his hand, ordering the Wushang guards to take the scouts away. The City of Steel had interrogation specialists, experts from the Bureau of Punishments who had been transferred to the City of Steel using Old Eagle’s connections. Wang Chong had brought them with him to the Qixi Protectorate.
Even if these Arab scouts had undergone special training and were able to keep a tight hold on their secrets, Xu Keyi would be able to at least get something from them.
The appearance of these Arab spies had triggered Wang Chong’s vigilance and had also completely overturned his understanding of the Arab commander, Abu Muslim. Just when Wang Chong was ready to begin a complete investigation of this matter, a day later, in the evening, when everything was falling quiet, an eagle pierced through the veil of darkness, silently approaching from the distant Western Regions.
Very few people knew that the news brought by this eagle would be like a crashing meteor, swiftly causing the entire empire to quake and completely disrupting Wang Chong’s tempo.
“What? Gao Xianzhi attacked the Shi Kingdom, killed its city lord, and stormed the entire region?!”
Wang Chong had been reviewing the documents of the Qixi Protectorate army when he heard this news, and his entire body trembled as if he had been struck by lightning, the documents in his hand dropping to the floor.
In that moment, the entire hall was deathly still!
The Battle of Talas!
This was the only thought left in Wang Chong’s mind.
How could this be? The Battle of Talas should have been at least half a year away. Why did it happen so soon!
Wang Chong’s face was pale, his mind in turmoil.
To stop this war, he had made all sorts of efforts, even written a letter to Gao Xianzhi thoroughly laying out the pros and cons of such a venture. Wang Chong had originally believed that his letter had been of some effect, at least making Gao Xianzhi a little more wary.
As long as he was more cautious, he would not so recklessly attack the Shi Kingdom as he had in his last life. The longer the Battle of Talas could be delayed, the more time Wang Chong had to prepare. But contrary to Wang Chong’s expectations, not only had this battle not been delayed, it had been pushed forward six months!
“…Not only that, after attacking the Shi Kingdom, Lord Gao Xianzhi continued west, his thirty thousand elites preempting the Arabs and capturing the city of Talas.”
Xu Keyi grimly bowed, sensing the seriousness of this incident.
“But the Arabs quickly advanced their armies east, sending all their soldiers to besiege Talas. The situation is serious and urgent. The presiding commander of the Four Garrisons of Anxi, Feng Changqing, has already sent a letter requesting reinforcements from us! Lord Marquis, please make a decision!”
Buzz!
The moment Xu Keyi finished speaking, a boom shook the entire hall. Xu Keyi glanced up and quickly realized that this was no earthquake, but Wang Chong fiercely standing up from his seat. His entire body was bursting with boundless Stellar Energy, wave after wave filling the hall.
Even a blind man could tell that Wang Chong’s emotional state was extremely unstable.
“Lord Marquis…” Xu Keyi blurted out. In his service to Wang Chong, he had always taken his commander to be an incredibly farsighted commander who always had control over the situation. Even in the war of the southwest, Wang Chong had never panicked. This was the first time Xu Keyi was seeing Wang Chong lose control of himself.
“Bring the letter over!”
Wang Chong’s voice resounded through the hall.
“Yes.”
Xu Keyi stepped forward and respectfully offered the letter from the Anxi Protectorate.
“I’ve already ordered that all the information on this battle be gathered and sent up before daybreak!”
This night was bound to be a sleepless one for the Qixi Protectorate.
In the torchlit hall, Wang Chong paced back and forth, while all the commanders, whether it was Li Siye, Xu Keyi, Heba Ye, or Xu Qiqin, were summoned. By dawn, all the information had been collected.
Wang Chong had even written a letter to Feng Changqing asking for a detailed account.
Wang Chong finally understood the truth behind this major incident.
Gao Xianzhi had led his army on a sudden assault on the Shi Kingdom, killing many of its subjects. He had even crossed the Cong Mountains and advanced farther west, occupying the city of Talas, in the end being besieged by the armies of the Abbasid Caliphate. Behind this series of actions that had shaken the entire western border was a truth that was far more complicated than he had imagined. Wang Chong’s letter truly had been useful, and Gao Xianzhi truly had been much more cautious.
If all had gone as expected, Gao Xianzhi was not planning on attacking the Shi Kingdom for several months, but he had received a piece of unexpected news that completely upset his tempo, compelling him to launch that series of rapid attacks that ended with his occupation of Talas.
The King of the Shi Kingdom had been colluding with the Arabs! The two empires were discussing a plan to jointly besiege the Anxi Protectorate in several months!
This was the news that made Gao Xianzhi change his mind and launch a preemptive strike!
How could it be like this?
Wang Chong clenched the letter, speechless.
A butterfly had flapped its wings, causing a massive storm and mighty waves on the boundless ocean. This was not the version of events that he knew. Wang Chong had always believed that Gao Xianzhi’s sudden attack on the Shi Kingdom was the same as it was in history, a calamity that arose from his greed.
But after reviewing Gao Xianzhi’s actions, Wang Chong had nothing to reproach him for.
Wang Chong had no idea that the Shi Kingdom and the Abbasid Caliphate were colluding to attack the Anxi Protectorate. Wang Chong could not determine if it was because this information had been hidden in his last life or this was purely the result of the butterfly effect. But there was one thing that was certain. Once this collusion was confirmed, launching a preemptive attack to strike before the enemy was fully prepared was the best decision.
There was nothing to be criticized about Gao Xianzhi’s decisions. Wang Chong himself would have done the same.
And once Gao Xianzhi attacked the Shi Kingdom, the Arabs would definitely send troops to its aid. At this point, rather than passively waiting, it was better to simply attack. One benefit was that it would stop the Arab attack, and the second was that the war would be fought outside the borders, reducing its effects on the Western Regions.
If things proceeded smoothly, then after the war, the entire Shi Kingdom could be added to the Great Tang’s domain in the Western Regions, with the Great Tang receiving little harm and a great boon.
And once one crossed the Cong Mountains, the region between Arabia and the Western Regions was flat and level. From a strategic perspective, the most useful area was undoubtedly the city of Talas. As a general who had made his name through swift and decisive battles, Gao Xianzhi would undoubtedly perceive the unique value of Talas, so after attacking the Shi Kingdom, he would undoubtedly march his troops to occupy Talas2.
This series of actions was sharp, fierce, and straightforward. While giving the Shi Kingdom a vicious blow, it also caught the Arabs completely off guard and forced them into a passive position. This was a thorough display of a Great General’s caliber.
Not even Wang Chong could fault this move.
______________
1. Abu Muslim was a Persian general who played a pivotal role in helping the Abbasids overthrow the Umayyads. A powerful figure in Iran and Central Asia, he was at odds with al-Mansur, the brother of the first Abbasid Caliph, as-Saffah. When as-Saffah died in 754, al-Mansur was made the second Abbasid Caliph, and he proceeded to reward Abu Muslim for his service by assassinating him, mutilating his body, and having it thrown into the Tigris.↩
2. The author seems a bit confused about geography. The Shi Kingdom had its capital in Tashkent, which was located on the foothills of the west Tian Shan mountains. Talas was to the north of Tashkent, along the Talas River, certainly not to the west, and both cities are north of the Cong Mountains, known today as the Pamirs. If the Anxi Protectorate was based in Suiye, as has been noted previously, Gao Xianzhi would have to cross the Tian Shan to attack Tashkent, and then he would essentially be marching back, heading north to Talas.↩
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 850 - The Crisis of Talas!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C850 - The Crisis of Talas!
Chapter 850: The Crisis of Talas!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Lord Marquis, what should we do now?”
The hall was quiet. Everyone turned to Wang Chong, all of them extremely serious and grim, affected as they were by Wang Chong’s mood. In the past, when they believed that Arabia was just a tiny country, they wouldn’t have given this battle a second thought, but after learning all that they had, they well understood the foe they were facing.
This country was even larger than the Great Tang, had an even larger army, more powerful warhorses, and even greater desire to expand. This was the greatest foe the Great Tang would face on this continent.
Gao Xianzhi had brought almost ninety percent of the Anxi Protectorate’s soldiers with him to Talas, leaving practically nothing behind. If Gao Xianzhi could not fend off the Abbasid Caliphate’s soldiers in the east, tens of thousands of Arab soldiers would cross the Cong Mountains and occupy the Western Regions.
And Qixi would be the first target.
Once Qixi fell, Longxi and the interior of the Great Tang would be threatened.
Never in history had Arab soldiers been so close to the gates of the Central Plains. Everyone could feel the powerful threat arising from that distant country.
All of them understood what was at stake through the scenarios Wang Chong had played out on the model.
Wang Chong said nothing, only closed his eyes and began to think.
This battle had begun too suddenly, too quickly. He needed to calm down and think. There were still many things that needed to be prepared, as all his plans had been upset.
After some time, Wang Chong finally opened his eyes, a blazing light burning within them.
“Li Siye, pass on my order to open up the Qixi Armory…”
Rumble!
A few moments later, there was a metallic rumbling as the long-unused doors to the Qixi Armory were opened, allowing the sunlight to seep in, illuminating the insides of this largest armory on the border. After ten-some years, those ballistae built by the Bureau of Works and branded with the imperial seal of the court finally saw the light of day once more, gleaming in the sun.
“Stop! You can’t do things like this!”
“Without a decree, no one can go inside! Stop right now!”
Several of the Qixi Armory guards shouted, but nobody paid them any attention.
‘When the general is abroad, he need not accept all orders of the sovereign.’ ‘Matters can be handled according to what is right and proper, but they can also be handled according to what is realistic and convenient.’ These two sayings highlighted the fundamental principle that a commander needed to be flexible. With a war imminent, these ballistae were the finest weapons and could allow the Great Tang to reach its maximum power. The Qixi Protector-Generals, including Fumeng Lingcha, had always kept to the law with these one hundred thousand ballistae, not daring to overstep their bounds.
But Wang Chong was different. He would not be some diehard that would continue to uphold tired conventions.
Rumble!
As Wang Chong led his army into the Qixi Armory, the Stone of Destiny suddenly resounded with its emotionless voice.
“Special Event: A Choice of Destiny!”
Light and shadow began to shift and flicker, and a massive wall suddenly sprang from the earth. On one side of the wall were thousands of black banners, and on the other side was a vast sea of yellow dragon flags. The two sides clashed and immediately began to attack each other…
Wang Chong immediately stopped moving.
“The wheels of history continue to slowly turn. No matter how many detours one takes, one will eventually return to the original path. A mountain cannot hold two tigers, and this continent cannot hold two massive empires at the same time. This is an inevitable war! Of these two empires, only one can howl from the peak of the world, while the other will rapidly decline, sinking into the ‘Lion’s Twilight Years’!”
Wang Chong’s body shuddered at these words, but the Stone of Destiny was not done.
“…A lion that has lost its claws and teeth is like an eagle without wings. Such are the twilight years of the lion, and it is also the choice of destiny!
“As a Controller of Destiny, user has a single opportunity, a one-time special treatment. With the payment of 8000 Destiny Energy, user can choose to waive this opportunity and withdraw. If user chooses to enter, user will be rewarded with 2000 Destiny Energy.
“Warning: once user picks this choice, user will soon encounter incredible danger. Upon mission failure, the empire will fall and user will be obliterated!”
As Wang Chong listened to the voice, a smile crept onto his lips. If he had not exchanged for the Karmic Battle Armor, he might have had the 8000 points of Destiny Energy needed to exempt himself from this choice. But even if he did have that option, would he really have taken it?
“Confirm!”
Wang Chong didn’t delay for long, swiftly stepping into Qixi Armory.
……
Flapflap!
Black eagles flew in every direction. The news about Talas had not only been sent to Qixi, but also to the capital, where it ignited a fierce debate.
“Your Majesty, we should immediately dispatch troops to reinforce Lord Gao Xianzhi!”
“Thirty thousand elites besieged is no trifling matter. if the Anxi Protectorate army is defeated, Suiye, Shule1, and the other Four Garrisons of Anxi will be lost, along with the rest of Anxi! We should quickly send reinforcements.”
Several generals in the court fervently appealed for reinforcements, greatly distressed at this news.
“Absurd!”
As these voices spoke up, an important official who had a good relationship with King Qi stood up and harshly rebuked them.
“Lord Gao Xianzhi is a divine commander, and since he took up his post, no one in the Western Regions has been able to defeat him. The Shi Kingdom has already fallen, and Lord Gao has led his soldiers even further west to occupy Talas. Given Lord Gao’s abilities, he will soon defeat the Arabs, so why are we discussing sending reinforcements? Have all of you lost your senses?”
Although King Song and King Qi had always had a poor relationship, their two factions often clashing in court, King Qi was not standing opposed for purely personal grudges. In the entire Great Tang, there was no Protector-General or Great General with a more dazzling record than Anxi Protector-General Gao Xianzhi.
Although he was not as old as the other Great Generals and Protector-Generals, his ability to command soldiers and his astonishing list of feats were not something that any of his peers could match. In the military and the court, Gao Xianzhi had another nickname: The Ever-Victorious General!
Ever since he had attained the post of Anxi Protector-General, Gao Xianzhi had never lost. In addition, his military strategy emphasized speed, and he was an expert at preemptive strikes. It was precisely because of his superhuman capabilities and the frightening power of the Anxi Protectorate army that their meager army of tens of thousands was able to suppress all the kingdoms of the Western Regions. With him present, all the rulers bowed their heads and the Western Regions was an impregnable fortress.
It was true that Gao Xianzhi was currently besieged at Talas, but many people believed that this was all part of Gao Xianzhi’s strategy. In the end, Gao Xianzhi would still defeat the Arabs and obtain victory.
After all, this was not the first time such a situation had cropped up. Gao Xianzhi had always won despite inferior numbers, proving his abilities time and time again. And besides, Arabia was just a ‘tiny kingdom’.
“But this time is different. The one to request reinforcements was Gao Xianzhi’s deputy general, Feng Changqing. This lowly subject believes that we should treat this war more seriously!” One of the generals attempted to persuade the court.
“Lord Xue, be at ease. Lord Gao will be fine!” an imperial censor unconcernedly said.
This court debate came to nothing in the end, with Feng Changqing’s letter stirring few waves of any significance. Gao Xianzhi was a master of swift and decisive battles, and many people believed that they would soon be receiving news of victory from Anxi. But ten days later, when a request for reinforcements once more arrived from the Western Regions and Gao Xianzhi remained besieged, everyone in the court finally began to pale.
Even the slowest amongst them could now see that this incident was completely different from the others. Gao Xianzhi, the Spear of the Empire, had encountered an extremely powerful opponent.
……
While the capital was still arguing over reinforcements, Qixi and Wushang were in the midst of preparing for war.
The Qixi Protectorate army had been divided into units of ten thousand, each unit ceaselessly working on a task. Meanwhile, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry were also getting ready for battle. Bows and arrows, ballistae, sabers, spears, halberds—all of these weapons were carted out of Qixi Armory and distributed through the army.
A ballista and two hundred ballista bolts were given to every five-man unit, and Wang Chong quickly formed a ‘ballista army’ consisting of two thousand ballista teams. Wang Chong had used a ‘ballista team’ during Dayan Mangban’s night raid on the City of Steel, and this strategy was quickly beginning to show its power.
Although this army of ten thousand only had 2000 ballistae, the ballista teams could divide the work, swiftly adjusting the ballista and bringing up the firing rate, maximizing the power of this heavy weaponry. These teams could push the ballistae to display five to ten times the normal killing power.
This was the new strategy Wang Chong had developed for ballistae!
“Lord Marquis, Lord Feng Changqing has sent another request for reinforcements. How should we reply? Should we refuse him again?”
In the hall, Wang Chong and his generals had gathered. Xu Keyi was holding a letter as he bowed to the enthroned Wang Chong.
“Tell Lord Feng to give me two months. After two months, I will definitely send troops to Talas to assist Lord Gao,” Wang Chong sternly replied.
Talas was in crisis and Gao Xianzhi was besieged, so Feng Changqing was sending letter after letter, deluging Qixi in a snowstorm. In ten short days, Wang Chong had already received twenty to thirty letters. Feng Changqing was Gao Xianzhi’s deputy and trusted aide, the two jointly hailed as the Twin Walls of the Empire. Although Wang Chong had never met this general who was renowned for his logistical and administrative skill, Feng Changqing had left a very deep impression on him now.
Every word of Feng Changqing’s letters had oozed a deep concern and anxiety. Even now, the Imperial Court had not noticed the danger and seriousness of this war, but both Wang Chong and Feng Changqing were well aware that this was no simple border conflict.
______________
1. Shule, also known as Kashgar, was one of the Four Garrisons of Anxi and is the westernmost city of the Tarim Basin. Suiye was also one of the Four Garrisons of Anxi, but unlike the other three, it was not located in the Tarim Basin, but in the Chu River Valley, separated from the Tarim Basin by the Tian Shan Mountains. It served as capital for the Western Turkic Khaganate until the khaganate was defeated in the seventh century.↩
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